Bosnian trade unions will invest additional efforts to return all of their property in Croatia with the help of Croatia’s competent institutions, the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SSSBiH) said.
The issue of the property which Bosnia’s companies own that are located on Croatia’s territory came up when the Croatian Parliament adopted a law on the governing of their state property end of May. The new law enables Croatia to rent out those properties which were inherited by the countries that came about after of the breakup of former Yugoslavia.
Bosnian companies own nearly 200 properties across the Mediterranean coast which they acquired during the Yugoslav era, including a number of hotels, ‘Energopetrol’ gas stations and business buildings.
A law on how such property will be distributed came into force in 2004, but since then, very few property cases have been resolved between Bosnia and Croatia.
Bosnian experts fear that with Croatia’s new law, Bosnia could lose those properties for good.
“It is a fact that this property was built and being bought at a time when unions organised vacations for their workers and that this property is Union property,” the SSSBiH said, explaining that it attempted to register this property under its name and return it to the owners multiple times, but failed to do so until now.
There are many reasons for this failure, the SSSBiH said, explaining that there were a number of substantial changes in its organisational structure since 1954, as well as that they do not have complete documentation regarding the issue as a result of the war in Bosnia.
The SSSBiH emphasized that a significant problem in tackling the issue is a lack of financial resources.
“Apart from this, it must be pointed out that since before the war began, a union for vacation and recreation was formed, which dealt with issues regarding union property and which managed property located in the Republic of Croatia,” the SSSBiH said, adding it will make an effort to prove the property belongs to Bosnian companies and that it will work toward it being registered under its name.
