Brčko Supervisor Scanlan meets Brčko Mayor Esed Kadrić, Deputy Mayor Anto Domić, District Assembly Speaker Siniša Milić, and Deputy Speaker Ivo Filipović
02/05/2021 OHR

Brčko: Shared budget sacrifice today means shared prosperity post-pandemic

The Brčko District Supervisor, Michael Scanlan, welcomes the discussion among the political leadership and deputies of the Assembly on imposing a moratorium on new employment in the public sector until a more transparent hiring process is developed.

“A good and transparent process is a win-win situation for everyone. With it, the public can be confident they have the best people providing public services, while public employees do not have to have their merits challenged having already been properly scrutinized in an open, fair, and transparent process. Transparency boosts confidence in the quality of public services, something the citizens of the District deserve, and which also communicates to investors that Brčko is a good place for business,” the Supervisor underscored.

With the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, the authorities also need to remain focused on maintaining public health and mitigating the economic consequences, while at the same time positioning Brčko for rapid growth in private-sector jobs as soon as the pandemic is over. The expenditure of every KM in the District budget must be wisely allocated through this prism with yesterday’s draft budget a work in progress towards that end.

“Overcoming the current challenges and delivering the reforms Brčko needs for a better future will require shared sacrifice and solidarity. Only together will the community get through the pandemic and reap the collective benefits of the new reform momentum,” added the Supervisor.

In this context, the Supervisor welcomes the commitment of the District Assembly to adopt legislation only through regular procedure with ample time for discussion and review. Urgent procedure is to be reserved for rare emergency situations.

Brčko’s resources must also not be drained by those who do not reside in the District, and the residency survey conducted in the final months of 2020 should serve to identify and remove those who have been illegally receiving welfare or other benefits in Brčko.

In the next two weeks, the Supervisor will meet with the heads of caucuses and representatives of national minorities in the Brčko District Assembly. The first series of meetings were held on Thursday and Friday when he met with SP, HDZ BiH, SBB, Ujedinjena Srpska, SBiH, SDA, PDP, and SNSD-DEMOS. He began Thursday with a meeting with the District Mayor and Deputy Mayor, and Assembly Speaker and Deputy Speaker.