Session of the Central Census Bureau Cancelled, No Agreement on Disputed Issues!

The session of the Central Census Bureau, scheduled for Wednesday, March 30, 2016, has been postponed until next week, confirmed by the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as reported by the Bosnian news agency Patria.

- Statistical institutions, although they have worked intensively, have still not reached an agreement on the disputed issues. In the coming days, activities will continue on harmonization within and between statistical institutions, in consultation with experts from the International Monitoring Mission. The goal is for the solutions reached to be in line with international census standards and the Census Law - it was stated.

There is no agreement among the heads of the agency and institutes, even though the IMO has maintained all its earlier positions, including that question 40 (place of work and education) cannot be used to determine the status of non-resident population. This question is precisely the stumbling block, and despite the IMO's recommendations, the RS is demanding that this question also be used to determine the status of non-resident population.

That there is work for investigative authorities is also clear from the summons to the directors of the entity statistical institutes of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, Emir Kremić and Radmila Čičković, to give statements at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is checking whether there is criminal responsibility in the entire process if the 50 million KM spent on implementing the 2013 Census fails.

The head of the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Velimir Jukić, will also give a statement.

- Summons have been issued, and in the coming days, certain officials from the entity and state agencies, i.e., statistical institutes, will be heard as witnesses. Activities will also continue in the coming period. The population census process cost about 50 million KM, and jeopardizing this process could cause great damage to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its citizens - it was stated by the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.