NUB BiH: The interest of the state is not defended by empty promises, cultural institutions and BHRT cannot finance themselves

(Patria) - The National and University Library (NUB) of Bosnia and Herzegovina is disappointed with the latest decisions of the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the budget of BiH institutions for 2025, since from the adopted, revised proposal, which was prepared by the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH, the previously proposed budget items for this year were deleted.

"In light of numerous promises and statements by the majority of ministers in the Council of Ministers of BiH and the majority of members of the Presidency of BiH that they will not allow the state cultural institutions of BiH to be left out in the cold once again, and that they will insist that they be included in the state budget for this year, we note with disbelief and great disappointment that exactly that has been done.

We were told that we should be left to our own devices, as if we were, for example, a local humanitarian organization or a group of citizens receiving humanitarian aid.

The Council of Ministers and the Presidency of BiH agreed to a fabricated narrative about the lack of a constitutional basis for the operation of state cultural institutions, which is contrary to OHR Order No. 02/2024 and Article 203 (1) of the Criminal Code of BiH, i.e., the current constitutional principle of continuity of regulations.

They deleted the previously proposed budget items for the current year from the adopted, revised proposal prepared by the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH, ignoring the orders of the OHR, the Presidency of BiH, and constitutional provisions.

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Predsjedništvo BiH usvojilo Prijedlog budžeta za 2025. godinu, bit će upućen na razmatranje PS BiH

(Patria) - Predsjedništvo Bosne i Hercegovine danas je održalo vanrednu sjednicu na kojoj je jednoglasno usvojilo Prijedlog zakona o budžetu institucija Bosne i Hercegovine i međunarodnih obaveza Bosne i Hercegovine za 2025. godinu, potvrđeno je

We ask the institutions of our founder and owner - the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of BiH, to explain whether their recent decision-making on the state budget means that state cultural institutions and the state public service BHRT should, formally and legally, be turned into humanitarian, non-governmental organizations and take care of their own financing and the preservation of invaluable cultural heritage, as well as the dignity of all citizens of BiH?

Has the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina been amended, along with its provision on the continuity of legal regulations, without the public knowing?

For non-governmental organizations, it is possible to rely only on projects and grants, but for state institutions, this is unsustainable, frivolous, contrary to the current Constitution of BiH, and to the domestic and international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We remind that the issue of financing these institutions from the state budget is a matter of the rule of law. These are institutions that are a primary state interest, and that kind of interest should not be debated, especially not politically or otherwise traded.

The interest of the state is not defended by empty promises and words that sound nice, but by actions," they stated from NUB BiH.