Budget for 2024 the same as 2023: Can the Council of Ministers, Presidency, and BiH PA pass it in six working days?

(Patria) - The Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH has prepared the draft Budget of BiH institutions for 2024 and sent it for adoption. Given that the BiH Fiscal Council did not adopt the Global Fiscal Balance and Policy Framework in BiH for the period 2024 – 2026, in accordance with the Law on Financing of BiH Institutions, the Ministry is obliged to plan the Budget in the same amount as the 2023 Budget, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury responded to Patria on Tuesday, December 18.

Just one day later, the leader of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, announced intensive activities in the coming days to adopt the Budget of institutions by the end of the current year for the first time. He even said that the Budget could be on the agenda of the BiH Council of Ministers session on Friday, and then be sent to the BiH PA.

However, there is very little time left for all these activities, and after adoption by the BiH Council of Ministers, the Budget is sent to the BiH Presidency, which adopts it and forwards it to the BiH PA for further adoption.

If this does not happen, due to the holiday season, then a decision on temporary financing for the first three months of 2024 should be made.

The Ministry of Finance confirmed to Patria that the budget for police agencies does not significantly differ from the 2023 Budget. At today's session of the BiH Council of Ministers, information requested by the BiH Presidency was adopted, and it was determined that institutions and agencies dealing with migration issues lack about 1,000 officers, most notably the BiH Border Police, which guards the state border and deters migrants from illegal entry.

If the BiH Presidency has corrections to the Budget, it will slow down the adoption procedure. But without the Presidency's decision, it cannot be adopted by the BiH PA.

It is likely that the state will mark 2024 with temporary financing.

(Amra Vrabac)