Sarajevo Canton Budget for 2026 Adopted, Amounting to Almost Two Billion KM

(Patria) - The Assembly of Sarajevo Canton (KS) today adopted the Draft Budget of KS for 2026 in the amount of KM 1,998,591,126.

As pointed out by the Prime Minister of KS Nihad Uk in his introductory address, the commitment of the KS Government and the parliamentary majority is to improve the quality of life for citizens.

- In this regard, we want to strengthen families, ensure higher quality education, enrich cultural and sports content in Sarajevo Canton, and invest in educational, communal, and transport infrastructure.

With the infamous weighting from 2022, KM 350 million was literally stolen from the pockets of KS citizens, but despite this, we continue to fulfill all the things we promised - said Uk.

Through the Ministry of Justice and Administration, the operation of TV SA continues to be strongly subsidized, and the digitalization processes initiated through the Law on Electronic Administration will continue in 2026.

- I am pleased that KS is one of the levels of government that is leading in the entire process of digitalization of public administration. Through the Ministry of Veterans' Affairs, KM 3.3 million is allocated for scholarships for children of the veteran population.

We have expanded this coverage, as previous scholarships were only for the first cycle, while this Government and this parliamentary majority have extended them to second and third cycle students. Likewise, since last school year, the amounts of these scholarships have been further increased.

The budget for 2026 also includes a monetary existential allowance amounting to KM 7.4 million, one-time assistance to the veteran population in the amount of KM 13 million, monthly transfers to the veteran population planned in the amount of KM 5.1 million, and funds for healthcare of the veteran population in the amount of KM 3.45 million - said Uk.

Speaking about the Ministry of Transport, he stated that subsidies for public transport are planned in the amount of KM 33 million.

- Free public transport will be available to the same users as in 2025. We are talking about primary and secondary school students, university students, and the unemployed, while tickets for war disabled veterans, pensioners, and workers' coupons are subsidized.

From 2021 to date, over KM 140 million has been invested in public urban transport through subsidies. We are proud of the fact that we are one of the few cities in the region that has free night transport.

Also, the subsidy for the train on the Pazarić-Sarajevo and Podlugovi-Sarajevo routes remains in 2026 - stated Uk, adding that more than 40 percent of passenger traffic in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina falls on these two routes, which best illustrates the success of the subsidy.

With an amount of KM 3 million, the subsidization of new airline routes in cooperation with the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board continues.

- The data shows how successful this policy, which we started at the end of 2023, is: the number of passengers from Sarajevo airport was slightly over 1.3 million in 2022, 1.37 million in 2023, and a year later, when we introduced subsidies, the number of passengers increased to 1.8 million.

In 2025, we broke all records, and it is expected that by the end of the year there will be 2.2 million passengers. The number of tourists in our capital city is growing in parallel.

The Ministry of Economy continues to subsidize the operation of the Veterinary Station, the company ZOI '84, KCS Skenderija, Sarajevo-šume, and incentives for farmers and agricultural production, development of small economy, startups, co-financing of business modernization, interest rates, women's entrepreneurship, and a number of other programs continue - emphasized Uk.

Regarding healthcare, an amount of KM 1.8 million is planned for the prevention, preservation, and improvement of the health of the population.

- I take this opportunity to invite citizens to continue using free preventive screenings for lungs, colon, prostate, breasts, cervix, and melanoma. This is the best way to invest in health - said the Prime Minister.

In 2026, scholarships for in-demand professions will remain at KM 1 million, subsidizing free textbooks for primary school students, implementing swimming, mountaineering, and skiing schools, co-financing kindergarten stays, the "From War to Peace" program, as well as financing extended stays.

As for the Ministry of Culture and Sports, transfers to sports clubs and individuals have been increased to KM 13 million, and transfers to non-profit organizations in the field of culture amount to KM 6.2 million.

- The Sarajevo Canton Cinematography Fund has been established, management structures have been appointed, and KM 2.5 million is planned for our filmmakers in the coming period, while associations of constituent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be co-financed with KM 400,000 in the 2026 budget.

The "Culture on the Streets" project remains available to citizens with an increased budget compared to 2025. Maternity benefits remain at the 2025 level, i.e., KM 1,261, child allowance has been increased, and a novelty from last year, the child allowance for three or more children, will be financed through the relevant ministry.

KM 300,000 is planned for a public call to solve the housing issue for young people through rent, while all preparations have been made for the construction of 300 new housing units for young people in Sokolović Kolonija, Šip, and Vogošća, where young people will have the opportunity to permanently solve their housing issue through significantly lower prices than market rates.

Another thing we are working on is the infamous building in Braće Mulić street in Dobrinja, where Sarajevo Canton plans to act as a guarantor for the Housing Fund to obtain financial resources and build a building with five blocks, which will, among other things, be offered to young people under favorable conditions.

Environmental protection remains a priority through the installation of calorimeters, subsidizing connections to the gas network and expanding green areas, as well as the largest debt for improving air quality in the amount of KM 50 million, which will be available to the relevant ministry for subsidizing individual heating systems.

We have taken steps to build a completely new heating plant in Vogošća by the end of 2026 to solve the heating problem - added Uk.

The budget includes funds for co-financing study costs for third-cycle students, co-financing scientific research projects, construction of a new boiler room in the Bjelave Student Dormitory, establishment of a Youth Center at the Vila Braun location.

- What I am proud of in the past period is that Sarajevo Canton has been the most serious partner of the DENIS Day Center for children with disabilities, and through budget funds, you can see that we will remain so in the coming year.

Finally, I will mention the Srebrenica Office, which has become operational and we expect it to be fully functional in the coming weeks - said the Prime Minister.

Speaking about capital projects, Prime Minister Uk emphasized that many of them will be completed in 2026.

Among other things, the allocation of apartments to members of the veteran population continues, the construction of the Žuč memorial center, the renovation of the Zmajevac barracks, where a museum of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina is also planned, the opening of a veterans' hospital, the purchase of new minibuses and buses, some of which will be electric, the completion of the tunnel construction on the First Transversal.

He further mentioned the construction of the railway to Hrasnica, the completion of works on the Southern Longitudinal, the procurement of additional special security vehicles for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, new equipment for the Police Administration, the finalization of the helicopter purchase and the establishment of a helicopter unit, the arrangement of business zones, the reconstruction of the roof at the Youth Center, the construction of an alpine coaster on Bjelašnica, the completion of the dog shelter in Prača, the completion of the construction of the Primary School in Stup and the start of the construction of the Primary School in Pofalići, the reconstruction and equipping of primary and secondary school buildings.

He also highlighted the opening of the UNSA University Library, the improvement of the digital archive of the National Museum of BiH, the construction of the southern stand of the "Grbavica" stadium, the purchase of audiovisual equipment for four theaters in the amount of KM 1 million, the reconstruction of the facade of the National Theatre Sarajevo, the reconstruction of the Historical Museum of BiH, the reconstruction of Health Center buildings, the procurement of equipment for KCUS, the expansion of the spatial capacities of the Municipal and Cantonal Courts.