Citizens of BiH to be left without passports after March 21

After March 21, passport booklets will cease to exist. This has been officially confirmed by the Agency for Identification Documents, Records and Data Exchange (IDDEEA). Director Edim Nesim sent a letter to the Council of Ministers of BiH, which is the only body that can now find another solution, writes Patria.

In a statement to the Patria News Agency, Minister of Civil Affairs Adil Osmanović said that he does not know how this situation will be resolved at this moment, but that everyone will do everything within their domain to prevent citizens of BiH from being left without passports at the end of March.

In recent months, there has been much discussion in the media about this problem, for which it was already clear that citizens would once again suffer the greatest damage due to the inertia of the authorities and competent institutions.

The currently valid contract with the German company Muhlbauer d.o.o. Banja Luka, which produces BiH passports, expires on March 21. The tender for the production of passports has already failed twice. The first time in May, and the second time in November last year. The value of the passport booklet production contract is around 25 million KM.

The entire chaos arose after a complaint from the French company Gemalto S.A. Meudon, France, which claims that they are not competitive and that the German company, which has printed the booklets so far, cannot be the only one involved in this. The Complaints Review Office upheld the French company's complaints on both occasions, and a new, third tender was ordered.

Minister of Security Dragan Mektić spoke about this last year, warning that the tender must be written in such a way that it allows other companies, not just one, to apply.

The French are very interested in obtaining the contract for printing passport booklets. They possess state-of-the-art machines that they are willing to install in BiH, thus creating new jobs.