Reforms must be comprehensive if prosperity for the District is desired

(Patria) - First Deputy High Representative and Supervisor for Brčko District, Michael Scanlan, met yesterday in Brčko with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Brčko, Siniša Milić and Ante Domić, as well as with the President and Vice-President of the District Assembly, Esed Kadrić and Ivo Filipović, and with the President of the Management Board of "STUDEN & CO Holding" Ilija Studen, acting Director of the Public Property Management Office in the District Jelena Duvnjak, Deputy Director of Brčko Port Alija Osmanbašić, and Director of the Youth Center "Vermont" Damir Radenković.

The Supervisor welcomes the fact that Brčko has joined the Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy to qualify for UNDP co-financing for the purpose of increasing energy efficiency in 187 public facilities in Brčko. This will reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions within the community, while also resulting in lower utility bills, which will in turn free up public funds that can be used to address other needs within the District. If the authorities submit the relevant assessment in July and wisely use the budget rebalance, activities to improve energy efficiency in two public facilities can begin as early as September.

Last week also saw the launch of the long-awaited project to modernize port facilities and cranes within Brčko Port, as well as the arrangement of the access road and railway to the port. The project, financed by the EBRD and the EU, will bring concrete benefits to the local community and the entire country, the Supervisor added. Work on the port renovation should be visible in September. If the authorities implement activities quickly, Brčko residents will also see the commencement of work on the business zone in Brod in September. This is the result of the public-private initiative "Brčko-Studen Holding", which aims to make the District a more attractive environment for investment and private sector development by ensuring a transparent permitting process, a service-oriented public administration, and quality infrastructure.

"However, none of these reforms on their own will ensure prosperity in Brčko District. Prosperity requires rapid progress on all fronts regarding initiatives that promote good governance, infrastructure development, and private sector development. We will see in September this year whether this will be the case, including the situation with the draft laws that Ambassador Kavalec and I highlighted in our special press releases at the beginning of this month. I will visit the District every two weeks to monitor progress on these initiatives," the Supervisor added.

The Supervisor noted that public institutions gain a reputation based on the trust people have in elections and in the laws governing the work of their officials in managing the community. Brčko District is no different. In this context, the Supervisor emphasized the importance of verifying voter lists. It is self-evident that a community's voter list cannot be larger than its population, especially considering that 10-15% of the population is underage, the Supervisor added.

Regarding laws governing administration, there is no more important law to adopt than the standard EU law on conflict of interest. The OHR, OSCE, and EU are ready to assist the working group of the Brčko District Government in achieving rapid results in this area, as this should be one of the first laws to be adopted by the District Assembly in its new convocation.

Holding a position in the Assembly or Government is an opportunity to serve the community, and the law must be clear that this is the sole interest guiding officials' activities, including the provision of penalties for cases of breach of public trust. It is hard to imagine that someone running in elections would not support this, the Supervisor said.