SDA and HDZ "reform" sell state companies and appoint cronies

Although they have been saying for days that the FBiH Government sessions are solely about reform processes, the statements of Prime Minister Fadil Novalić, and then all the ministers sitting in the FBiH Government, prove that the time spent so far has been for appointments, decisions on the sale of companies, the abolition and merger of some public companies, and then decisions on launching some new directorates, writes the Patria news agency.

And in the end, they admitted, even Bakir Izetbegović, the president of SDA, that the coalition at the Federation level broke down due to positions, i.e., the controversial Decree on the method of appointment in public companies, which was most “pushed” by HDZ BiH, and DF strongly opposed it, which ultimately left the government.

However, how much HDZ, led by Dragan Čović, cared about deciding the fate of public companies is proven by the move of the President of FBiH, Marinko Čavara, who sent a letter to the outgoing Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić asking the outgoing FBiH Government to suspend decisions that are not necessary for the functioning of the entity.

We remind you that the FBiH Government adopted the Plan of the FBiH Privatization Agency for the sale of a minority stake in a number of state-owned companies, and Čavara ordered the outgoing Government and other legal entities of the executive power to suspend decisions that are not necessary for the functioning of FBiH until the new executive government is constituted.

Otherwise, after obtaining the consent of the competent ministries in the FBiH Government, the sale of state capital in 14 companies was planned for 2015: Bosnalijek d.d. Sarajevo, Energopetrol d.d. Sarajevo, Energoinvest d.d. Sarajevo, Aluminij d.d. Mostar, Hidrogradnja d.d. Sarajevo, Remontni zavod d.d Travnik, Šipad export-import d.d. Sarajevo, Željezara Zenica d.o.o. Zenica, KTK d.d. Visoko, Agrokomerc d.d. Velika Kladuša, Konfekcija Borac d.d. Travnik, Fabrika duhana Mostar d.d. Mostar, PS Vitezit d.o.o. Vitez, and Holding company Putevi BiH d.d. Sarajevo. The total state capital in these companies amounts to KM 772,744,358.

Novalić yesterday listed some companies slated for urgent privatization: Aluminij, Acerol Mittal, Energoinvest, Bosnalijek, Energopetrol, and Sarajevo osiguranje, which corresponds to the earlier plan of the Privatization Agency.

The current FBiH Government has almost copied everything that the Agency planned (previously adopted by Nikšić's FBiH Government), and has called it all reform issues. In addition, it will form a Directorate for companies in difficulty, which will only lead to new administrative employment.

As a reminder, Novalić stated that the Directorate is necessary for them to help some companies restructure and liquidate others through bankruptcy. The question here is what the Privatization Agency will do then, under which, by Government decision, the Agency for Passive Balance and the Agency for Privatization Audit will also operate.

- Those going for privatization are the last category, and they include Aluminij, Acerol Mittal, Energoinvest, Bosnalijek, Energopetrol, and Sarajevo osiguranje. – Novalić noted.