Members of the BiH Concessions Commission have collected 20 million since 2005, without issuing a single concession

(Patria) - Does Bosnia and Herzegovina have a concessions commission - or not? It does - because it was established in 2005. And it doesn't - because it has never granted a single concession.

During that period, its members have cost the country nearly 20 million marks. The latest report from the Office of the Auditor General of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina pointed out that the mandates of the members of this commission have expired. Among the members are also pensioners. And so, while state parliamentarians are seeking the appointment of new members or the abolition of the commission, an announcement has been made that a tender procedure for filling the member positions should be prescribed soon.

We have a concessions commission at the state level. We have no results from its work. Currently, it is at half capacity, although the legitimacy of those participating in its work is questionable due to expired mandates. The only thing that has not been questioned throughout the years of this commission's existence are the salaries, earned without a single concession agreement issued. They have cost citizens 11 million marks from 2013 to date. According to announcements, an attempt will be made to put an end to this, writes Federalna.ba.

“The Council of Ministers has tasked the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina with initiating a tender procedure for the election of seven members of the Concessions Commission,” announced Borjana Krišto, Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZBiH).

"Currently, there is no representative from Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the parliamentary commission. The Concessions Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has four members out of the seven it should have by law, with the mandates of the existing members having long expired,” stated Denis Zvizdić, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NiP).

The Minister of Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Staša Košarac (SNSD), assures that the tender procedure will be carried out, although he does not consider the Commission's work justified.

“First of all, I think the Concessions Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina should not exist. Secondly, I respect the existing law and the conclusions of the Council of Ministers, my colleagues are working with me to conceptualize a new format for the Commission and to propose it to the Council of Ministers, and we will do that,” said Košarac.

Without the appointment of new members, the Commission is blocked, which is why it is the condition of all conditions, followed by the existence of political will for its smooth operation. Auditors also pointed out this problem in their report:

“The current composition of the Commission does not reflect the territorial representation of the Commission members provided for by the aforementioned law, so the functioning of the Commission is also hindered in that regard.”

According to data from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the work of this commission without decisions is expensive. In addition to regular income, four employees also receive compensation for living separately.

“Concessions Commission – 12 employees/associates. Total income for the period from January 1, 2023, to October 31, 2023 – 322,893.91 KM,” according to data from the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“We have an incomplete composition, some have expired mandates and have not been replaced by other members of the Commission, they have not awarded a single concession so far, the purpose of their existence is really questionable,” asks Siniša Vukelić, editor-in-chief of the Capital portal.

Even if all members of the Commission are appointed, the question remains in which direction its work will go and in whose interest. The stumbling block is the allocation of resources for the Buk Bijela hydroelectric power plant construction project.

“There are lobbies, political influences, influences from various levels, and behind it all is always interest. We know what resources are, not only water but also energy, infrastructure, etc.,” says Mirko Šarović, former Minister of Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The position of the expert on state property is clear - entities can conclude inter-entity agreements only if they receive the consent of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This did not happen in this case.

“Given that the political agenda from RS is the non-existence of state property, it has, all along - even during the mandate of chairman Tegeltija, with the relevant minister in this specific case Staša Košarac - obstructed the filling of the state concessions commission. The right to joint use and the invocation of the right to concluded special parallel relations cannot be exercised on hydropower potential and the use of natural resources,” emphasizes the expert on state property Muharem Cero.

The Buk Bijela project, in addition to its hydropower potential, is also significant due to approximately 80,000 hectares of forest land. Cero warns that the Buk Bijela project is a test for entities to gain sovereignty, which leads to the creation of an environment for the dissolution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The inaction of the Concessions Commission and the blockage of its work confirm the intentions in that direction.