Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) should receive at least €1 billion for development projects under the EU's Growth Plan, but so far nothing has happened because the Republika Srpska (RS) entity refuses to adopt a package of 113 implementation measures because it does not want BIH to have a single emergency phone number.

This was confirmed by the Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Viskovic, who said they do not want a unified emergency call centre to be located in Sarajevo, although this is the practice in all other states.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only country in Europe without a single emergency number, as the RS persistently opposes it. The Serb entity insists that each entity should regulate it independently, arguing that this would violate the constitutional structure of the state.

The leaders of the political parties making up the governing coalition at the state level met in Sarajevo on Monday in an attempt, ultimately unsuccessful, to unblock the process of adopting reform laws demanded by the European Union, as well as to pass the budget for this year. All of this is a prerequisite for the European Commission to allow the allocation of funds secured for the Western Balkan countries through the project called the Growth Plan.

The entire package is worth €6 billion, which would be allocated through specific projects approved by EU bodies. It is estimated that Bosnia and Herzegovina could receive at least €1 billion in grants through this mechanism.