Krišto: There is no possibility to put the 2018 Budget on the agenda of an extraordinary session now

SARAJEVO, (Patria) – Chairwoman of the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliament Borjana Krišto told reporters that the 2018 Budget cannot be included as an item on the agenda of an extraordinary session as requested by the SDA, because that item has already been included on the agenda of the Parliament session that began on December 21.

The Party of Democratic Action (SDA) requested the convening of an urgent session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to discuss only one item on the agenda: the Bill on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2018.

The SDA Caucus sent an official request to the Chairwoman of the House of Representatives today to convene an urgent session.

According to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives, the budget for the next year must be adopted by the end of the current year.

SBB announced that this party will not support the proposed 2018 Budget in the BiH Parliament if the financial reserves intended for the members of the BiH Presidency, as well as the state prime minister and his deputies, are not redirected to sports and social benefits, after which the Minister of Finance Vjekoslav Bevanda offered a Decision on temporary financing of BiH institutions.

When asked by a Patria reporter when we could expect the Budget and why there would be no session until the end of the year, Chairwoman Krišto said that the item was included on the agenda of the Parliament session that began earlier, and that there is no way to remove an item from one session and put it on the agenda of another session now.

The Council of Ministers determined the Draft Law on the Budget of BiH Institutions and BiH International Obligations for the next year, amounting to 1,954,062,329 KM. The budget for financing institutions remains 950 million KM. Revenues for servicing external debt amount to 1,004,062,329 KM. The BiH Parliament must also confirm the budget.