Transition Under Suspicion: Authorities and International Projects Against Miners' Interests

By: A. Čorbo-Zećo

The closure of mines in BiH is not an act of transition, but an act of capitulation, Kenan Hodžić, senior assistant at the University of Sarajevo - Faculty of Criminology, Criminology and Security Studies, will recently warn Patria.

"At a time when citizens are looking for ways to avoid energy poverty, and the state to strengthen its sovereignty and resilience, closing mines would mean favoring market monopolies and further eroding energy security. Therefore, a change in narrative is urgently needed: transition must not
be an excuse for exploitation, but an opportunity for a fair transformation," Hodžić said.

I recently had the opportunity to talk to people from Brussels, who indirectly suggested that BiH is not listening to everything served to it from the European Union. Because member states themselves are now paying the bills for previous ill-considered decisions in the energy sector!

Therefore, today's meeting between the Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry of FBiH, Vedran Lakić, and the Head of the World Bank Office, Christopher Sheldon, regarding the Just Transition Project raises a number of questions and justified suspicion among miners.

And some of them have already written to the media - they are seeking analyses, detailed publications of the project. What will it specifically mean for them.

Although the official tone promises security, worker welfare, and local community development, experience shows that such projects often remain only on paper.

Miners and their communities have carried the energy sector of BiH for decades, and have suffered the consequences of privatizations, mine closures, and lack of investment for decades.

Therefore, the question is justified why they should believe now that international loans and energy projects bring true security?

The project, with a total value of 79.9 million euros, promises land reclamation, solar energy development, and retraining programs. However, miners fear that "just transition" in practice will mean job losses, meager compensation, and a new form of dependence on donations and loans.

Christopher Sheldon emphasizes that the project will be "just and humane", while Minister Lakić claims that the transition means a new chance. But in BiH, mining communities have already experienced numerous "chances" that have not led to security. Without concrete guarantees and clear implementation, the risk that this project remains more declarative than real is high.

Miners and local communities are demanding clear answers and concrete measures, not just political messages. As decisions on borrowing and project implementation are being prepared, their suspicion is not unfounded because history has shown that people's interests are often put on the back burner, while financial flows and international loans take priority.