Bosnian Minister accuses European Commission of “blackmail” over Growth Plan implementation

“Many countries that adopted the Growth Plan experienced delays in disbursement. Those who promoted the Growth Plan as a project of the current European Commission clearly stated: if you adopt the Plan year by year, and fail to implement some activities, you will not receive the funds. That is blackmail by the European Commission,” Kosarac stated. “Only recently was part of the funding transferred to Serbia. They can’t pressure us into anything, we won’t rush into decisions”.

Kosarac insisted that Bosnia would resist pressure and respect the constitutional competencies of both the Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska (RS) entities.

“There will be no hasty procedures or pressure. We will act in line with the Coordination Mechanism, respecting constitutional jurisdictions. Some suggest decisions should be made unilaterally, but how can we do that without involving all stakeholders? The Council of Ministers is not a government or a governing body. Someone is trying to push decisions through quickly, but we will not erode our constitutional authority”, he warned.

Asked about the looming September 30 deadline and the risk of losing further EU funds, Kosarac pointed to obligations under the Energy Community Treaty.

“I believe this is an obligation stemming from the Energy Community agreement that BiH signed. If we fail to act, that money stays in Brussels. We want to avoid that, and if needed, we’ll introduce certain levies to ensure those funds stay within the entity funds. SEEBUM taxes are far more expensive than what would be imposed by the FBiH or RS. That would increase product prices and undermine competitiveness, this is a product of both the FBiH and RS”, he said.

The Minister also highlighted obstacles at the canton level, particularly in areas governed by the Democratic Action Party (SDA).

“We have already coordinated with the entity and district coordinators. There is a delay in cantons where the SDA is in power. I want to respect the constitutional positions of cantons, entities, and the district. The deadline is August 11”.

On recent audit reports of state institutions, Kosarac declined to comment.

“I won’t comment on audit reports; those people are doing their job. Auditors can determine the state of affairs, just as they do in other institutions”, he concluded.