Which artists will the Sarajevo Canton pay contributions for?

Amendments to the Law on Prominent Independent Artists of Sarajevo Canton, which the Cantonal Government adopted today at the proposal of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, aim to better and more precisely define the criteria and conditions under which these artists exercise their rights under this law, reports the Bosnian news agency Patria.

As proposed, the right to payment of pension and disability insurance contributions would only be held by prominent artists whose income in the previous calendar year was less than twice the annual average net salary achieved in Sarajevo Canton.

Prominent independent artists, as stated in the amendments, will be obliged to provide their artistic contribution twice during the calendar year, including once during state holidays, without compensation, through participation in literary events, exhibitions, concerts, fashion shows, and other artistic activities organized with the support of the Government of Sarajevo Canton and the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

The organizer of a cultural event of public interest, such as: Days of Sarajevo Canton, Baščaršija Nights, Selection of Athlete of the Year of Sarajevo Canton, is obliged to send the invitation to participants at least 30 days before the event. The law specifies that if a prominent independent artist explicitly and unjustifiably refuses an invitation to sign a contract with the organizer of a cultural event, or after signing the contract fails to fulfill their obligations, they lose the status of a prominent independent artist of Sarajevo Canton within the meaning of this law. As pointed out by the Minister of Culture and Sports of Sarajevo Canton, Samer Rešidat, this is an opportunity for artists of all branches to actively engage and contribute to the creation of artistic and cultural content in Sarajevo Canton.

To improve the aforementioned law, it is proposed that recommendations for exercising rights under this law be primarily given by professional associations registered in the area of Sarajevo Canton for a specific artistic activity, and if such an association is not registered at the cantonal level, then the recommendation should come from a professional association registered at the federal or state level.