Delić and Kafedžić: Public registers of incentives in economy and agriculture are a corruption prevention measure

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Head of the KS Office for Combating Corruption and Quality Management Erduan Kafedžić and KS Minister of Economy Adnan Delić today presented registers of incentive beneficiaries in agriculture and small businesses. 

The registers are already available on the Office's website with data for 2020, and data for 2021 will be added.

Kafedžić said that this was a protected area and that it is very important to shed light on this area which carries a risk of corruption because it involves millions of funds.

"In 2021, 13.1 million KM will be distributed. I invite the media and the public to use these registers in their research in order to prevent corruption through the allocation of funds," said Kafedžić.

He thanked the KS Government and the OSCE Mission for enabling the establishment of the registers. 

Minister Delić said that these are incentives that are awarded annually in accordance with legal regulations. This amount ranges from 0.5 percent to 2 percent of the KS budget, and this year it will be slightly higher. 

"This year, 8,490,000 KM is planned for small businesses, and 6,100,000 KM for agriculture. Transparency is a preventive measure against corruption, and accordingly, we wholeheartedly accepted the initiative to create registers and infrastructure so that everyone has information about where citizens' money is being spent. We will have available data on where to direct funds. The registers were established in mid-March, and the Ministry of Economy will enter data into the register. Currently, there are 198 beneficiaries of agricultural incentives and 46 for small businesses. The goals of establishing these registers are transparency and restoring trust in state institutions. When it comes to these incentives, we have a small number of applicants because people do not believe in transparency," explained Delić. 

The register lists the types of incentives, beneficiaries, and the amount of funds allocated, with the caveat that contracts will not be publicly disclosed due to the protection of personal data.