BiH on European 'Grey List': Citizens Again Paying the Price of Political Irresponsibility

(Patria) - After a devastating assessment regarding the failure to fulfill even one of the promised 113 measures from the Reform Agenda of the EU Growth Plan, the current authorities, speaking in current sports terminology, have scored another own goal by placing BiH on the Moneyval grey list, announced the Center for Security Studies.

More expensive and slower transfers of cash flows for citizens and businesses will further burden already financially exhausted taxpayers due to the inability of politicians to meet the conditions and international standards in the field of preventing money laundering and terrorist financing.

In vain did the competent institutions and prominent experts from the economy and non-governmental sector persistently warn about such an unfavorable outcome for BiH, as a member of the Council of Europe.

"Ignoring FATF recommendations and the inability to reach an agreement on amendments to the Law on International Assistance in Criminal Matters, the state Law on Confiscation of Property Acquired through Criminal Offenses, and the establishment of a register of beneficial owners, further undermine the rule of law in areas to which the international community is particularly sensitive.

Due to the inability to sign protocol agreements with the European Commission, the authorities in BiH are unable to withdraw 70 million EUR in grants from the Growth Plan, and by the end of the year they risk losing another 374 million. The election cycle and the implementation of election results give citizens almost no hope that politicians will be able to meet the set deadline, for which Marta Kos, the Commissioner for Enlargement, and other EU officials have clearly stated that it will not be extended further.

Therefore, citizens can only, in the gloomy sea of unfulfilled political promises and irresponsibility towards them as a voting machine, use the moments of joy that the best sports representatives of BiH provide in this euphoric period and think carefully when casting their valuable vote for the next set of rulers," say the CSS.