McGaffie: EUSR did not request a budget increase for the next year

The Delegation of the European Union to BiH reacted to the information from the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP) regarding the budget of the EU Special Representative in BiH. The Patria agency published an article stating that the EUSR requested a budget of 5.4 million euros, but that this proposal was rejected due to the stance of certain member states. However, EUSR spokesperson Andy McGaffie says the article is „misleading“ and „contains inaccuracies".

- The EUSR in BiH did not request a budget of 5.4 million euros; a budget of 5.25 million euros was proposed at the start of the discussions and was ultimately adopted in that amount. Furthermore, no member state opposed the mentioned proposal for the EUSR budget in BiH – says McGaffie.

The article published regarding the mandate and budget of the EUSR was based on statements by British Minister for Europe David Lidington.

- Regarding the proposed budget for the next 12 months of 5.4 million euros, the minister says that the 2 percent increase is intended to cover higher travel costs in BiH ahead of the 2014 general elections. The United Kingdom is against the proposed budget. There will be no increase in staff or resources, and individual allowances will be reduced from October 2013 – the document states.

However, subsequent checks established that the discussion concerned the budget for this year, not the next year as stated in the article, and the accurate information is that Sorensen requested a budget increase for this year, but it was not approved. 

The Patria agency extends its apologies to the EU Delegation and the Special Representative if the publication of this information caused any inconvenience. The Patria agency strives for professionalism and objective and accurate information, and this practice was applied in this case as well.