OHR
FBiH Budget Pleases No one
Prime Minister Brankovic’s promise to introduce amendments to the FBiH budget over the next three months is confirmation that the FBiH Budget pleases no one at a point when the FBiH needed a budget that would improve the business environment in the entity more than anything else.
The business community has already warned that pro-business direct tax reform and simplified administrative procedures have made the RS a more fertile ground for investment, and that some businesses that have until now been based in the FBiH are looking to move to the other side of the IEBL.
Rather than taking on this challenge, the Government has raised public-sector salaries and allowances by 22 % as well as increased spending on other untargeted programmes.
This leaves no room for direct tax reform or other economic incentives that would promote the creation of new jobs.
Making financially unaffordable commitments for the sake of pre-election gains can in this instance only come from borrowing money that the Federation must eventually pay by either raising taxes or dramatically cutting spending in other areas.
Countries in the region have found that without attracting investment and creating jobs it is impossible for Governments to begin to make the payments to the most vulnerable in society, such as pensioners, the disabled and the unemployed.
Focussing on practical legislative and administrative initiatives is a workable step to attract investment, create jobs and raise living standards. If you cannot create jobs and raise living standards, reform in every other sphere is much harder.
FBiH Constitutional Court Mostar Ruling
Many of you are looking for an OHR comment on the FBiH Constitutional Court Ruling on the Mostar Statute.
As a point of principle, the OHR’s position is that BiH’s Constitutional Courts have the authority to review High Representative’s decisions where the HR acted in place of the legislative bodies of the country – essentially where the High Representative enacted legislation.
As to today’s ruling itself, the OHR is reviewing the ruling so there will be no detailed comment at this time.
EUFOR
Operation ALTHEA in
As previously announced, EUFOR is paying tribute to the improved security situation in
Today I am pleased to announce that the Multinational Maneuver Battalion to be based in
Concurrently the Multinational Task Forces in Mostar,
Related to this Transition, EUFOR is launching its latest advertising campaign to inform the population of
This first phase of the campaign is intended to convey 3 messages;
- EUFOR, as part of the EU family, remains committed to
- EUFOR retains a presence throughout the country in the form of 44 Liaison and Observation Teams (LOTs) which live and work in the community and keep a close contact to the population,
- EUFOR retains the ability to deploy additional reserve forces anywhere in
Future phases of the campaign will provide more detailed information about assets and engagement of EUFOR in the country.
The campaign elements, as there is this TV-Spot, a similar Radio Jingle, newspaper advertisements and billboard posters as you can see here, have been contracted to:
- 7 TV-companies,
- 59 Radio stations,
- 6 newspapers and magazines,
- 70 billboard locations
and will be seen for the next 30 days.
ICTY
Good morning on behalf of the Tribunal. This is a historical week because never before in its history has the Tribunal rendered three judgments in three consecutive days.
As you could see from our yesterday’s press release, the ICTY Appeals Chamber yesterday dismissed all grounds of appeal filed by Miroslav Bralo and affirmed sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment for a number of crimes committed in the area of Vitez in April and May 1993, including participation in an attack on Ahmići on 16 April 1993.
Today, on April 3, at
The third judgment will be rendered tomorrow at
I have for you copies of the ICTY press release of 17 January, as well as copies of the guilty plea agreement and the statement of facts signed by Dragan Zelenović.
For all interested TV stations, I also have a few copies of DVDs showing footage from the hearings held in this case on 16 and
That is all from me today. Thank you for your attention.