Nikšić: We are leaving the future FBiH Government with 500 million KM less debt

Nermin Nikšić, Prime Minister of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, says he regrets that some things were not done as he had envisioned by the Government he led for the past four years. However, summing up the overall results of the FBiH Government's work during his term, he believes he can be satisfied, writes the Bosnian news agency Patria (NAP).

At today's press conference held in Alipašina, in the Government building, Nikšić presented an overview of the FBiH Government's performance from 2010 to 2014. According to his words, twice as many laws adopted than the previous Government, as many as 2,000 more agenda items than the previous Government's agenda, nearly 50 more Government sessions than the previous Government held, are just some of the things that make him satisfied with how he spent the last four years as Prime Minister of FBiH.

According to his words, for the first time since the war, the FBiH Government has not a single mark of debt towards demobilized soldiers, war military invalids, non-war invalids, and recipients of the highest war decorations. They have been repaid, Nikšić said, about 150 million KM, and their benefits themselves have been increased by 3.8 percent.

196 million KM has been repaid based on the debt for old foreign currency savings.

More has been repaid to the IMF than was taken from it.

Pensioners received two pension increases of 5% over four years. The trend of accumulating debt towards the PIO/MIO Fund, which on the day of the Government's appointment four years ago amounted to 180 million KM, has been stopped. It is clear, Nikšić said, that this is still not enough, but considering that FBiH is the only one in the region that increased pensions, this must be assessed as a positive result.

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nikšić said, has invested about 27,000 million KM in the Federal Employment Institute over the last four years, which resulted in the opening of 10,000 new jobs. If, the Prime Minister believes, the future Government continues with this program, it will also result in new jobs in the coming period.

- The FBiH Government will leave the future Government with about 500 million KM less in debts and obligations – said Nikšić.

Expenditures for material costs at the FBiH level are on average ten percent lower annually than they were before.

- This government has achieved investments greater than 2 billion KM through its public companies and other investments. We built 67 km of highway, into which about 1.2 billion KM was invested. This investment secured 5,000 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs. Thanks to this, BiH officially emerged from the recession it was in when this Government was appointed. Investments in the energy sector amounted to about 800 million KM – Nikšić stated.

- One of the greatest successes of the FBiH Government is the revitalization of the defense industry. Production and export in this branch have tripled, and before this Government came, the factories were on the verge of closure.

The Prime Minister also touched upon Elektroprijenos, for which he said it is perhaps one of the best-concluded stories after the war.

Nikšić said he is also satisfied that in the last four years, major reforms in healthcare have been launched in FBiH, and the greatest reforms have been achieved in the area of the Criminal Code.

- What we did not do, which I wanted this Government to do and which is urgently needed, is the reform of the civil service, then the law on forests... – said Nikšić.

Another painful issue that Nikšić mentioned, which the Government tried to resolve, is the Law on Linking Work Experience. This is a problem, Nikšić said, faced by thousands of people who cannot realize their pension because their employers did not pay contributions. To solve this problem, the Prime Minister added, about 700 million KM and five to ten years of work will be needed, Patria reports.