Addressing a joint session of the BiH Parliament on Monday 27 May, High Representative Paddy Ashdown introduced his overall strategy for launching a sustained assault on crime and corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina and promoting significant job-creation. The High Representative summarised his policy as: “First Justice. Then Jobs. Through Reform”.
The High Representative proposed the following crime-prevention strategy:
- Set up a special court-chamber to take on sensitive, high profile cases;
- Complete the establishment of the Court of BiH;
- Complete the process of creating a comprehensive legal framework so the police, prosecutors and courts have the legal tools needed to bring criminals to justice;
- Get the High Judicial Council operational by the autumn, so that BiH can have the high-quality judges and prosecutors it deserves;
- Strengthen the systems that scrutinize government and prevent abuses of power in the public sector.
The High Representative proposed the following employment strategy:
- Sweep away the unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy that makes it so difficult to run an honest business and drives so many into the grey economy;
- Develop laws that will help small businesses obtain credit and expand;
- Create a single, user-friendly system for registering new businesses;
- Push forward the reforms on property and land ownership law, so that people can invest and plan with confidence;
- Establish accelerated procedures for dealing with business disputes.