The Federal Republic of Germany Ambassador, Thomas Fitschen, has voiced his concern over the staffing and financial difficulties confronting the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUB BiH), as noted in a statement from the German Embassy in BiH.

“The library is not only the guardian of invaluable bibliophilic treasures salvaged from the old library destroyed in 1992 but also plays a vital role in assigning international standard numbering to publications.

Without this critical international registration, new publications from Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot be distributed or acquired by libraries around the world. Should the library close, remarkable new works of literature and academic research from this region, of interest to the entirety of Europe, would remain unpublished and inaccessible,” Ambassador Fitschen remarked.

He welcomed the recent directive from High Representative Christian Schmidt, who ordered the Council of Ministers to act promptly to secure the library’s operations by appointing an interim manager within seven days.

“I believe Schmidt's intervention has arrived at precisely the right moment. It’s my hope that this also serves as a wake-up call for politicians, highlighting the urgent need to take responsibility for other state-level cultural institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” Ambassador Fitschen stated.