High Representative Valentin Inzko today took a series of decisions intended to ensure that the entities and the state fulfill some of their outstanding obligations under the Brcko Final Award, after the deadline set by the Peace Implementation Council for these issues to be resolved expired on 15 September 2009.
Over nine years, the entities did nothing to meet commitments undertaken through written agreements in the years 2000 and 2001. No serious effort was ever made, then or now, to implement entity obligations under the Final Award.
The decisions passed today:
- amend state and entity laws on citizenship to provide a mechanism for District residents to change their entity citizenship, if they so wish;
- amend state and entity laws on electricity to provide the necessary legal framework for electricity supply to Brcko District;
- provide for a BiH law on the distribution of succession assets, which will prevent any distribution of assets or funds at the expense of Brcko, in line with the law adopted by the Council of Minister on Monday.
With respect to the matter of outstanding debts to be paid to Brcko District, Supervisor Raffi Gregorian has suspended issuing a Supervisory Order on this matter following notification from the Mayor of Brcko that both entities are expected to conclude a binding, written undertaking by 1 October to repay agreed amounts in due course.
“The entities and the state must now be seen to adhere to these decisions, for that is the only way in which the Supervisor will be in a position to notify the Arbitral Tribunal that the entities have met their obligations under the Final Award”, the High Representative said while announcing his decisions. This notification is the last necessary step before the PIC Steering Board can formally confirm their conditional decision of June 2009 to terminate Supervision for Brcko.