New year, old habits: BiH without adopted budget

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Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the New Year 2025 without adopting the most important document for the functioning of the state. The BiH Ministry of Finance did not send the state budget proposal, the minister was not in the mood to comment. New year with old habits which will mean another temporary financing.
Although the budget of the Institutions of BiH for 2025 according to the budget calendar had to be adopted by the end of 2024, there is not even a draft of it before the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ministers are used to this unpopular but already traditional practice, so they are happy if it is adopted in the first quarter of the year.

– Of course, everything that was adopted until the first of April, if the budget is adopted, it is a great thing, that we can plan and distribute the grants and funds we have transparently, and not wait for the last month of the year to quickly issue invitations and share what we have in budget – says Sevlid Hurtić, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Of course, it is more difficult to function and implement those public procurements in full capacity, but I think that this year the adoption of the budget will go much faster and, most importantly, there will be an increase again for the members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This will be the second time in my mandate, but I hope it will not be the last time in my mandate”, states Minister of Defense of BiH Zukan Helez.
The Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees needs more resources to solve pressing issues within its jurisdiction. These are infrastructure projects, which require a lot of time to prepare adequately.

– This year, the Ministry of Human Rights requested more funds for infrastructure. This applies to infrastructure and religious communities. So far we have had two million, and now we are looking for four, that would be an increase – Hurtić points out.
Criticism of this attitude of the authorities. The decision on temporary financing does not benefit anyone. It enables only what is necessary and turns the budget into a consumption rather than a development budget.
– What I would say is that it is the responsibility of the Council of Ministers to pass the budget on time and within the deadline. Believe me, if I could, I would withhold their wages for that month, because they didn’t do their job that month. It is no longer a question of freedom and voluntarism, whether someone will come to the session of the Council of Ministers, whether they will vote or not, it is a serious job that must not be left and put BiH in a position of temporary financing. That no one raises the question of responsibility to the people who receive a salary for it – emphasizes economist Zoran Pavlović.

“For the umpteenth time, our government shows that it is irresponsible, that it does not care about the citizens, especially when it comes to money. They will adopt the budget at the last moment, their salaries will not be late, we are lucky that the state budget does not include pensions and something that we depend on directly from them. This country would be in complete collapse,” says journalist Rubina Čengić.
– I do not see a single justified reason why we did not adopt the budget for the institutions of BiH. Obviously, this is also an element or an instrument for political trade and political reconciliation – says Jasmin Emrić, a representative in the ZD PSBiH (NES).
Even government representatives admit that it is not good that the budget was not adopted.

– We will have to be visibly involved in all current topics and when it comes to the EU path and the strengthening of our partnership relations at the level of BiH and the Federation in order for the systems to function. Given that we have not adopted the budget at the level of the Federation or the state, all this will be a kind of challenge for the first month – says HDZ BiH leader Dragan Čović.
Although the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina is mainly spent on salaries and repayment of external debt, any delay extinguishes the hope that money for development components could still be found in the new draft. Any prolongation is a step beyond that. And while we wait for the new one, let us remind you that we received this one for the current year at the end of July in the amount of one billion and 355 million KM, which is also a record amount. Regardless of that fact – it was consumer, not developmental, writes BHRT.