Who is blocking the Law on Forests in the FBiH: HDZ or interest groups

(Patria) - The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has not had a Law on Forests for almost 10 years. The law adopted in 2002 was repealed due to unconstitutionality on November 27, 2009.

Since then until today, this area in the larger entity has not been legally regulated. The Law on Forests is part of the Reform Agenda package, but at a certain point it also became a subject of the blockade of the work of the FBiH Parliament, together with the law on war veterans.

It will be difficult to find an expert who can determine with certainty the damage this entity has suffered due to such a situation. 

The Government of the Federation of BiH, at its session on July 7, 2017, adopted the Draft Law on Forests, which never reached the deputies and delegates of the FBiH Parliament.

The law was opposed by the Independent Union of Forestry, Wood Processing and Paper of BiH, the Association of Forest Engineers and Technicians of the FBiH, and the Assembly of the West Herzegovina Canton.

"The proposal of the Law on Forests, which the FBiH Government adopted and forwarded to the parliamentary procedure, is the result of harmonized positions of interested parties on all issues and submitted comments and suggestions on the text of the law after conducted public hearings," states the response to the inquiry of the Patria agency from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry. 

From the Ministry, they say they cannot assess whether the objections to the proposed law are the reason why the FBiH Parliament ignores this law. 

The FBiH Government sent an urgent request to both houses of the FBiH Parliament in August this year with a set of conclusions, which, among other things, stated: "In order to overcome the difficult situation in the field of forestry, caused by the lack of a law on forests in the FBiH, the Government urges that the Proposal of the Law on Forests be urgently taken into consideration."

 

When it comes to the damages that the FBiH suffers due to the lack of legal regulation in the field of forestry, the relevant ministry lists numerous reasons for NA Patria. 

"The lack of a Law on Forests at the level of the FBiH leads to illegal logging and illegal occupation of state forest land, efficient work of the forestry inspection is prevented, works foreseen by the forest management plan (silvicultural works, construction of forest roads, other works of biological forest restoration) are not carried out, forest management plans are not prepared uniformly, nor is their preparation, control of preparation and implementation at the level of the Federation of BiH, there is no financing of projects of general interest in forestry, there is no effective protection of forests from fires and plant diseases, the stability of forests is threatened and revenues from forests are drastically reduced, there is no inflow of funds into the Budget of the FBiH based on the use of state forests and forest land, it is impossible to legally direct the collected funds in the Budget of the FBiH, the constitutional competences of the FBiH in the field of forestry are not implemented. The damage due to the lack of a Law on Forests at the level of the Federation of BiH is incalculably large," they say from the Ministry to Patria. 

Parliamentarians and sources in the FBiH Government deny that objections to the Proposal of the Law on Forests caused it not to be placed on the agenda of the parliamentary houses. 

Unofficially, they say: "As long as the HDZ is in the federal government, the Law on Forests will not receive support. Except in the case that a quid pro quo is made for them." 

One of the reasons for the HDZ's opposition to the Law on Forests is also the fact that it was once proposed that ownership of forests cannot be federal, but municipal. 

On the other hand, forests as the wealth of all in the Federation of BiH are being cleared without a bill and without a tavern keeper. This wealth is getting smaller, and the accounts of profiteers on forest assortments are getting "thicker".

Will federal parliamentarians wait for mountains and hills to become barren, for the danger of landslides to threaten a larger number of inhabitants, before they start behaving responsibly and doing the job for which they are overpaid. 

Until then, the animal part of the forest ecosystem will be on the same path as the citizens of this entity - across the border.