Law on Fund for Aid to Disaster-Stricken Areas Discussed

At today's session of the FBiH Government, working texts of the Law on the Establishment of the Federal Fund for Aid to Disaster-Stricken Areas from Natural Disasters in the Territory of FBiH, and the Law on Financing Aid for Eliminating Consequences of Natural Disasters and Rebuilding Areas Affected by Natural Disasters were discussed.

Drafts of both laws will be prepared by the Federal Ministry of Justice, based on the remarks and suggestions made today, as well as any suggestions that federal ministries are to submit by Friday, so that the FBiH Government can express its opinion on them and send them to parliamentary procedure.

The goal of both laws is to ensure larger, more efficient, and completely transparently collected and allocated aid to areas affected by floods and landslides in the Zenica-Doboj, Tuzla, Una-Sana, Posavina, Central Bosnia, and Sarajevo Cantons. In this way, the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina continues to concretize its commitment to helping the population and economy of the affected areas as quickly and efficiently as possible, after declaring a state of natural disaster by Decision dated 15.5.2014.

When it comes to the Fund, its task is to ensure the collection and management of financial resources intended for aid to disaster-stricken areas, through their consolidation and coordinated direction where they are most needed. The Government of the FBiH exercises founding rights and duties in the Fund, whose headquarters are in Sarajevo, on behalf of the FBiH.

As proposed by the working text of the Law on Aid to Areas Affected by Natural Disasters in FBiH, funds for eliminating severe consequences and for reconstruction are provided from several sources: the FBiH, cantons, and local self-government units.