The Agencies involved in the Property Law Implementation Plan (OHR, OSCE, UNHCR, UNMIBH and CRPC) announced today that, as of the end of January 2002, the overall implementation rate of the property laws has risen to 42% in BiH. The PLIP Agencies note that the implementation figures continue to indicate steady progress, but that irresponsible promises of totally illegal moratoria on evictions continue to be made on a regular basis throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. These promises reveal a fundamental lack of commitment to human rights and the rule of law and should already be a thing of the past.
According to the January statistics, 51% of cases have been solved in the Federation, 32% in the RS and 42% in Brcko. In other words, out of 130,917 households that filed a claim in the Federation, 66,552 have repossessed their property, and out of 115,093 claims in the RS, 36,901 have been solved. In total, 106,324 out of 252,843 households have repossessed their property.
Property law implementation is unstoppable. It will be completed in the foreseeable future. The authorities should make every reasonable effort to move beyond property law implementation as quickly and humanely as possible. This means strict application of the law and provision of sufficient alternative accommodation for all entitled temporary occupants. If the authorities really care about the well-being of temporary occupants, they will make use of all available alternative accommodation instead of misleading them with promises that violate the law.