1st Joint Session of the BiH PA and Council of Ministers: Most Ministers Absent, Krišto Says She Won't Resign

(Patria) - The 1st joint session of both houses of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Ministers of BiH is underway, since the Council of Ministers of BiH was formed in January 2023. Most ministers did not show up for today's session, ignoring it, and only the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers Borjana Krišto, HDZ ministers Davor Bunoza and Dubravka Bošnjak, and one minister from the Trojka coalition, Edin Forto, are attending. Thus, Elmedin Konaković, who is traveling to Barcelona, Zukan Helez, who is hosting a meeting of defense ministers, Sevlid Hurtić, Srđan Amidžić, Staša Košarac, and Ivica Bošnjak are absent from the session.

The most questions were addressed to the Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Borjana Krišto. She stated today that she will not resign and will continue to work in accordance with the laws and the Constitution of BiH.

Delegate Šefik Džaferović raised the issue of national imbalance to the detriment of Bosniaks.

"According to the data I have, there is a significant imbalance in terms of the ethnic structure of employees in BiH institutions. I ask the Council of Ministers of BiH whether and what it is undertaking to respect the constitutional and legal principles of ethnic representation," said Džaferović.

Krišto stated that the Council of Ministers of BiH is doing everything to respect the laws and the Constitution and to take into account both competence and representation in terms of national structure.

Džaferović expressed dissatisfaction with the answer and reiterated that there is an imbalance to the detriment of Bosniaks, especially when it comes to officials.

"BiH is like that, and we must respect these principles. In this situation, you urgently need to put these data on the agenda of the Council of Ministers of BiH session and correct this imbalance. The Council of Ministers of BiH should encourage institutions to correct the imbalance. This is a very important issue, we must trust each other, not fight over how these principles will be violated," said Džaferović.

MP Jasmin Emrić requested clarification on the Reform Agenda and who nominated the projects listed.

Krišto emphasized that the European Union will analyze the projects, and the list of positively assessed projects will be submitted to the financiers for approval.

"The EC provides information on areas that can be financed with growth funds, which forms the basis for defining an indicative list of projects," said Krišto.

During today's session, Krišto reiterated her stance that the appointment of the Minister of Security of BiH is a matter of political agreement and that she does not believe she is violating the law by not appointing anyone to that position, especially someone who is not part of the ruling parties at the state level.