FBiH Government: Decisions on subsidies for private companies and pension service recognition for RMU Breza workers

(Patria) - The Government of the Federation of BiH at today's session held in Sarajevo, upon the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, adopted a decision approving a program for the use of funds allocated in the Federation of BiH budget for 2025, "Subsidies to private companies and entrepreneurs - Interest rate subsidies - Guarantee Fund" in the amount of 5,700,000 KM.

This program is the result of the efforts of the Government of the Federation of BiH to continue finding measures to assist the economy of the Federation, due to difficulties in the operations of business entities.

The main goal of the program is to enable beneficiaries who are indebted under credit guarantee programs for large companies and exporters, or who will become indebted in 2025 under these programs, to receive grant funds for subsidizing part of the interest costs. A portion of the interest will be subsidized on a quarterly basis, up to 2.5 percent.

The procedure for subsidizing part of the interest will be carried out by refunding a portion of the interest on loans approved under these programs for maintaining current liquidity and the existing level of employment. It also includes the procurement of working capital, completion of already initiated investments, launching new business activities, growth and development of existing ones, as well as increasing competitiveness, developing and introducing innovations, and new employment (if related to a new investment). In the structure of the approved loan, up to 30 percent may relate to financing current assets.

All business entities that are loan beneficiaries under credit guarantee programs for large companies and exporters for previous years, as well as loan beneficiaries who have applied or will apply in 2025, have the right to interest rate subsidies.

The Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry will not issue a public call under this program, given that beneficiaries of the guarantee fund will automatically receive the opportunity to use funds for interest rate subsidies. Under this program, loan beneficiaries acquire the right to interest rate subsidies for the first, second, third, and fourth quarters of 2025, provided they have duly settled their previous loan obligations.

The Government of the Federation of BiH today also adopted a decision granting prior consent for concluding a contract on the implementation of interest rate subsidy activities - Guarantee Fund between the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry and the Development Bank of FBiH. The Federal Minister of Energy, Mining and Industry is authorized to sign this contract.

The Government of the Federation of BiH today, upon the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry, adopted a decision on the payment of outstanding unpaid obligations for pension and disability insurance for the recognition of pension service for a total of 116 workers of the Brown Coal Mine Breza d.o.o. Breza in the total amount of 3,561,102.87 KM.

By this decision, RMU Breza was approved the recognition of pension service for unpaid contributions for PIO/MI0 for six workers who have met the conditions for retirement in the total amount of 286,038.72 KM, as well as for 110 workers who exercise rights based on court judgments but have not met the conditions for retirement in the total amount of 3,275,064.15 KM.

The funds will be paid from the resources of RMU Breza, and the entities responsible for implementing the decision are JP Elektroprivreda BiH d.d. Sarajevo, Brown Coal Mine Breza, the Federal Pension and Disability Insurance Institute, and the Tax Administration of the Federation of BiH, the Government announced.