Bečarević on the Sarajevo Canton Budget Draft for 2026: All of the 'Trojka's' failures are coming due

(Patria) - Former minister in the Sarajevo Canton Government Almir Bečarević (SBiH) criticized the proposed draft budget of the Sarajevo Canton for 2026.

We are publishing his text for the Istraga.ba portal in its entirety.

According to the draft budget of the Sarajevo Canton, the total credit debt of the Sarajevo Canton amounts to 977 million KM. The credit debt status (domestic and foreign debt) as of 31.12.2024 amounts to 824,846,470.99 KM (principal and interest).

Loans in the process of borrowing, for which the KS Assembly has given consent, include improving air quality for 22.7 million euros, construction of the Ilidža-Hrasnica tram line, additional funds of 5 million euros, and E-mobility, additional funds of 5 million euros. Domestic borrowing in 2025 amounts to 90 million KM. Total loans amount to 977 million KM.

The Government of the Sarajevo Canton has expressed its readiness and determined its commitment to provide assistance to young people through subsidizing the purchase of apartments and subsidizing apartment rentals. This commitment is also expressed through the draft budget by addressing the housing issues of young people through a 100 KM rental subsidy and a 100 KM subsidy for young people in resolving their housing issues.

The KS Government's commitment also includes addressing losses in the water supply network and reconstructing the sewage network. For this purpose, the draft budget allocates 0 KM for reducing losses in the water supply network and 100 KM for the reconstruction of the sewage network.

Financial support for the purchase of electric cars will be supported with 10,000 KM (assistance for the purchase of two cars). Landscaping and planting trees in public areas will be supported with 0 KM.

Procurement of air protection equipment from loans will be supported with 1 KM, and the construction of environmental protection infrastructure with 270,000 KM.

The Government of the Sarajevo Canton has also expressed its readiness to build a new boiler house in Vogošća and has not allocated any budget position for this purpose in the draft budget.

The draft budget of the Sarajevo Canton has not foreseen salary increases for budget users, although trade unions have submitted requests for salary increases, and the Government has expressed its readiness to improve the material status of employees.

The draft budget has reduced the expenditure side for all ministries, so it is unclear how the ministries will fulfill the obligations they financed in previous years.

Finally, we expect that from the draft to the budget proposal, revenues will be invented (as in previous years) up to the amount of 1.9 billion KM, and based on such invented revenues, expenditures in the budget will also increase, which will again result in a circus of a budget.

It is difficult to understand whether there is any rational thinking left among the members of the KS Government, but what we can already say is that the circus performers are again creating a budget for clowns (the parliamentary majority).