Shell's withdrawal from BiH, another defeat for Novalić's government

The Government of the Federation of BiH, led by Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, has brought another disappointment to the citizens of our country. One of the world's largest oil companies -  Royal Dutch Shell, with which the government of Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2011, has decided not to extend further cooperation, meaning it is withdrawing from BiH, reports the Patria News Agency.  

SDP BiH believes that this news sends an extremely negative message to BiH and its economy, especially considering the enormous effort invested in cooperation with this company. In the previous convocation of the Government and Parliament, in addition to numerous other activities, the extremely important Law on Exploration and Exploitation of Oil and Gas in FBiH was adopted, which finally legally regulated this economic area and created the possibility for the Federation of BiH and its citizens to profit from the undisputed oil potentials they possess.

It is known that this project was successfully led from the beginning by the Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry from the previous convocation of the FBiH Government, Erdal Trhulj, as a minister from SDA. However, it is evident that this party and its coalition partner HDZ are bothered by successful ministers from the previous convocation of the Government, even at the cost of, intentionally or not, derailing their projects, which would mean opening new jobs and developing the domestic economy.

Announcements that the FBiH Government will independently continue the implementation of the Oil and Gas Exploration Project in FBiH sound even more unserious, as this Government is unable to solve even the basic social problems of the citizens of FBiH. Perhaps Prime Minister Novalić plans for the phantom company "Intera" to do the job that Shell intended to do? Unfortunately, the unseriousness of the Government and the SDA-HDZ coalition is already coming due, and the bill, of course, will be paid by the citizens. With this move, the FBiH Government has shown how it is capable of driving investors away from FBiH.

Shell's decision to withdraw from BiH speaks volumes about the reputation of the current FBiH Government, its work, and its methods of attracting investments. It is clear that any serious investor needs very little time to recognize the unseriousness of the SDA and HDZ governments, and thus Shell decided that it has no intention of further investing in the development of the oil business in our country, it was announced from SDP.