SDA Presidency: Strengthening the Armed Forces of BiH has become an imperative

(Patria) - The Presidency of the Party of Democratic Action held a session where numerous current political topics were discussed. Among other things, a series of conclusions were adopted.

1. The Troika has seriously weakened the position of pro-Bosnian forces with its concessions so far. New concessions, which are being intensively negotiated with SNSD and HDZ, concerning the Election Law, the Constitutional Court of BiH, state property, and the Central Election Commission, would irrevocably harm the interests of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There are "red lines" below which no pro-Bosnian party should go. In the case of the Election Law, these are the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights.

Furthermore, the issue of state property must be resolved in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court of BiH, and under no circumstances should the introduction of an ethnic decision-making principle, and thus an ethnic veto on the decisions of this institution, be allowed into the functioning of the Central Election Commission. The adoption of any law regulating the work of the Constitutional Court of BiH is unacceptable, as this issue is directly resolved by the Constitution of BiH. It is also unacceptable that judges elected by the President of the European Court of Human Rights do not participate in the work of the Constitutional Court of BiH.

Any consent by the Troika to any of the aforementioned would constitute a betrayal of the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mere consent to discussions on these topics and the formation of working groups constitutes a threat to the interests of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2. The SDA Presidency strongly condemns the blockades and traffic stoppages at the entity line that have been organized by the authorities of the RS entity for weeks. This act not only raises inter-ethnic tensions and disrupts the security situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina but also directly violates the Dayton Peace Agreement, i.e., the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which stipulates that entities shall not impede the full freedom of movement throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. We call on EUFOR to react in accordance with the mandate prescribed by the Dayton Peace Agreement, which, among other things, obliges them to prevent the obstruction of civilian movement. Restricting movement is a criminal offense prescribed by the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we call on the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina to prosecute all those responsible for this unconstitutional and illegal act.

3. The SDA Presidency strongly condemns the attacks, threats, and pressures on Bosniak returnees in the RS entity, which have escalated in recent months. We demand that the High Representative Christian Schmidt finally state his position on the request of representatives of victim associations, supported by most parties from the pro-Bosnian bloc. The High Representative, in accordance with his mandate, must react using the Bonn Powers and ensure the implementation of the Constitution of the RS entity by adopting an appropriate decision that will enable an increase in the number of Bosniaks and Croats in the police structures of the RS entity, as well as ensure that in areas where the number of returnees is significant, members of the Bosniak and/or Croat people are in leadership positions in local police structures.

The apartheid against Bosniaks and Croats in the RS entity is based, among other things, on the unconstitutional national imbalance in the institutions of this entity, especially in the security sector. It is unacceptable that only 4.7 percent of Bosniaks and 0.9 percent of Croats are employed in the MUP of RS. This percentage, according to Article 97 of the Constitution of RS, must be harmonized with the 1991 census, according to which 29 percent of Bosniaks and 9 percent of Croats lived in the territory of this entity at that time. The current number of employees is even three times lower than the number of Bosniaks and Croats according to the 2013 census.

4. The SDA Presidency assesses that the results of the imposed Government of the Federation of BiH in the first four months of its mandate are very poor.

Despite the fact that the previous government left them full budgets, funds, public companies with positive business results, and a set of reform legal solutions ready, the imposed Government has been almost exclusively dedicated to appointing its own personnel, often completely incompetent, and even those in conflict of interest. The only achieved result is the adoption of the Law on Civilian Victims of War and a set of energy laws, which were previously prepared by the Government headed by Fadil Novalić.

It is unacceptable that the Parliament of the Federation of BiH has not met for more than two months. We call on the Government of FBiH and the leaderships of both houses of the Parliament of FBiH to urgently return the set of fiscal laws and the Law on Minimum Wage, prepared by the previous Government, to the parliamentary procedure, which provide for a reduction in contributions and an increase in wages. The adoption of these legal solutions is crucial for the continuation of economic development of FBiH and the improvement of the status of workers and the increase of their income. We demand that amendments to the laws providing for stricter sanctions for domestic violence and violence against women be accelerated, and that an urgent rebalancing of the federal budget be undertaken to secure funds for the treatment of the most vulnerable cancer patients.

5. The SDA Presidency supports the demands for an increase in funds in the state budget for the equipping and modernization of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are in line with the growth of public revenues. The current financial situation in the country allows for the allocation of significant funds for these purposes, and ultimately, the aim should be to constantly allocate 2 percent of the annual GDP for the equipping and functioning of the Armed Forces of BiH, which is the NATO standard.

Given the constant armament of neighboring countries, which disrupts the balance that Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia committed to by signing Annex 1-B of the Dayton Peace Agreement, strengthening the Armed Forces of BiH is becoming an imperative.