Questionnaire includes unacknowledged Census data from the entity of Republika Srpska

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Answering the European Commission Questionnaire, BiH authorities could not reach a compromise on which data to use in response to question „3b – population by gender, age and regional distribution“. As things stand, the Council of Ministers intends to answer that question with two responses, one using data published by the Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina – which are recognised as such by relevant international institutions – and the other using unacknowledged data published by the Institute of Statistics of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska. 

The Patria news agency was shown part of the Questionnaire responses related to the „census“, which shows that unacknowledged data from the Institute of Statistics of the BiH entity of Republika Srpska were entered into the Questionnaire. 

According to the census results, a total of 3,531,159 inhabitants live in BiH. In the entity of the Federation of BiH there are 2,219,220 inhabitants, in Republika Srpska there are 1,228,423 inhabitants, while Brčko District has 83,516 inhabitants. By nationality, in Bosnia and Herzegovina 50.11% are Bosniaks, 30.78% Serbs, 15.43% Croats, and 0.77% of the population did not declare.

According to data published by the RS Institute of Statistics in December 2016, a total of 1,170,342 inhabitants live in this entity. Compared to the recognised Census, this is 58,081 fewer inhabitants.

SDP representative in the House of Representatives of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly Saša Magazinović today asked the state Prime Minister Denis Zvizdić whether he sent the RS Census results as part of the Questionnaire response, under which law he did so, by whose decision he recognised the RS census results, and what other “compromises” he made regarding the Questionnaire.

„Why are the answers being hidden from Parliament and on what basis is this a secret“, said Magazinović, specifically referring to the disputed census issue.

Prime Minister Zvizdić said that the Questionnaire is merely an instrument through which the competent services of the European Commission obtain necessary updated data, the state of the political system, economy, implementation of legislation and other data from the country.

„In other words, the Questionnaire is an inventory of the current situation in BiH and no obligations are undertaken nor is anything legalised with it. That is essentially the whole point of the Questionnaire and it will not be the only source of information on the basis of which the European Commission will prepare its opinion on BiH's membership application“, said Zvizdić. He added that the European Union will also use other data on BiH compiled by expert and field missions, ambassador reports and reports from international organisations.

„A large part of the answers will therefore not be new to the European Commission“, said Zvizdić.

„As for your question, it is not about statistics but about issues arising from economic criteria which requested information on GDP per capita, statements according to purchasing power standards, and salary formation in the public sector“, added Zvizdić.

Magazinović believes he did not receive a precise answer from the Prime Minister.

„The question will not disappear, it is there. We will turn to others who might want to answer us. I think it is a huge damage to the state that you are not creating a synergistic effect of the executive and legislative branches, and that Parliament is not involved in European integration“, concluded Magazinović. 

Deputy of the Independent Bloc Sadik Ahmetović demanded a special session of Parliament to seek the responsibility of Prime Minister Zvizdić and clarify the circumstances "why he allowed the use of unconstitutional census data which were included in the Questionnaire", but such an initiative was rejected because it did not receive support from deputies from SNSD, SDS, HDZ BiH and SDA.     

Seventeen deputies of the BiH House of Representatives sent a letter to European officials; President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn and Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, seeking an answer "what concrete compromises were made in the responses to the European Commission Questionnaire that the Council of Ministers plans to send to Brussels."

Photo Patria