SARAJEVO, AUGUST 28 (ONASA) – Pthe Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nermin Nikšić, said that it is difficult to find a solution for the normal functioning of the National and University Libraries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially in this balance of power.
In an interview with the Federal Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nikšić said that this problem has existed for thirty years and that in his first mandate he tried to find a way to solve the problem of that institution, at least temporarily.
“Even at the moment when we found money to finance seven institutions from the Ministry of Education and Science of the FBiH, we were accused of taking away the authority of the state, even though we wanted to show responsibility towards these people. But even after 30 years, the fact is that the Council of Ministers of BiH does not take this into account and that they have to do something for the country, because it is not right for these people,” said Nikšić.
He pointed out that in the conversation with NUB employees, he realized that they are very aware of the situation in which they find themselves. He believes that the financing of these institutions is a much smaller problem than the appointment of management structures and who takes responsibility for their functioning.
He praised the Government of the Canton of Sarajevo, which took responsibility to provide money for the missing funds for salaries and that in this way the acute problem was solved. He added that the Government of FBiH will consider the information of the Federal Ministry of Education and Science about this situation at the next session, and he expressed the hope that they will find the means to intervene and close this story by the end of the year.
He said that it will be easier to find money for NUB in 2025, because the KS adopted a special law on the financing of these institutions, so within the framework of the distribution of funds to lower levels of government, certain transfers will be able to provide funds for these institutions.
Nikšić believes that the bigger problem is solving the problem of appointing the management structure, because the director of NUB is going to retire soon, which is a big problem.
“We will try to talk to the Council of Ministers of BiH one more time and we will go with the representatives of the KS to the court to see what they could accept as a temporary solution for the members of the administrative and supervisory board and the director,” he said.
He believes that the problem of all seven cultural institutions is a political issue, because the representatives from Republika Srpska believe that in this way they are strengthening the state.
He says that they are also considering a conversation with High Representative Christian Schmidt.
The prime minister also spoke about the accusations of workers in the film industry, stressing that they were unfounded.
“This year, the FBiH government increased funds by 1,300,000 KM in the budget for financing cinematography. Before, it was 3,400,000 KM, and now it is 4,700,000 KM. In addition, there are also decisions through financing through BH Telecom where there are still 6 or 7 million KM left. But the current Government of FBiH decided to leave part of the realized profit from BH Telecom of 11,500,000 KM as undistributed profit which will be directed to the financing of sports and cinematography, but I said that it does not occur to us to meddle in who of the directors is the most deserving “, explained the Prime Minister.
He praised the cooperation of the parties in the FBiH Government, in which there is no override.
“It’s not an idyll, but what we agree on, we make it happen. It is very important that what comes from the Government to the FBiH Parliament is supported by the representatives of the parties in power,” said Nikšić.
He praised the work of the chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, whom he says he understands because they do similar work.
“I did not notice that HDZ obstructs some things, even though they have different views than us, as do the representatives from RS. But if we talk, then we manage to solve some things. We did more in one year than was done in ten years. We are currently stagnating, but it is important that no one can take away what we have done”, said Nikšić.
He believes that the state coalition will survive, but even if it does not, it will be clear to everyone what chances BiH is losing.
“I was optimistic that we would adopt the Growth Plan. I could not believe that parties from the RS would accept it, and some cantons would make it problematic. But even when we were the opposition, we always supported things that were good for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The growth plan was a great chance for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and now we are deprived of a possible 1,026,000,000 KM euros. It is important that we wise up and start working accordingly”, he said.
Nikšić also spoke in the election of the director of the UP Federal Police Administration and said that everything in BiH is a political issue.
“It would be ideal if we had a law. To be clear, the director of the FUP cannot be a Bosniak, because the current minister is a Bosniak. Now they accuse us of wanting to give HDZ that position. And when I proposed that the minister should not be a Bosniak, everyone rose up against me. “You can always find a way to politicize, and an example of that is the election of a judge of the Constitutional Court,” he said.
When asked if the working group for the Southern Interconnection has completed its work and that the draft law has been submitted, Nikšić states that the work has not been completed, but that they have continued to make significant strides and adjust positions.
“According to our plan, we should finish it at the beginning of autumn”, he said.
He confirmed that one of the compromise solutions could be to establish a branch of BH Gas in Mostar, which will have its own board of directors.
“When we started discussing this, we said at the start that there was no reason not to create a branch, as in other companies. But it’s not normal for me to have its own board of directors. That is why I say that this proposal has not yet been agreed upon,” explained Nilkšić.
Answering the question about the appointed director of the Tax Administration, Nikšić stated that there was a written test and that SDP candidate Muhamed Hasanović did not pass.
“It is not very normal that only two out of six passed. There is a certain doubt here, but there are bodies that check it. According to my latest information, we have a complaint from the former director of the commission, which is under consideration in the Appeals Office, and after that we will see what decision we will make,” concluded FBiH Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić. (end)