NO PROGRESS WITHOUT CONSENSUS

SARAJEVO, MARCH 31 /SRNA/ - The Deputy Chairman of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH Nikola Špirić told SRNA that for SNSD it is not a problem for anything to be placed on the agenda of this chamber as long as there is consensus within the Collegium, as well as within the Council of Ministers, and he expressed hope that the departure of the Chairman of the House of Peoples Kemal Ademović from NiP could bring changes in that direction.

"As far as we in SNSD are concerned, the House of Peoples can function only through discussions and agreements. Whatever has consensus within the Collegium and is the product of consensus within the Council of Ministers, when it comes to laws and agreements, we have no problem with those being items on the agenda," Špirić said.

He added that SNSD is not interested in the surge of populism in the pre-election period coming from the House of Representatives through political Sarajevo, and stressed that delegates from this party in the House of Peoples will not be mere spectators when such agenda items are concerned.

Špirić expressed hope that Ademović, after leaving NiP, will think differently and that before each session of the House of Peoples he will convene the Collegium and consult with the other two members to determine what has consensus to be included on the agenda and supported by the caucuses of the constituent peoples.

"If that happens, some progress is possible, but all this looks like an early election campaign, where the negative consequences of conflicts within the Bosniak political bloc, lasting more than three years, are being billed to Banja Luka. I fear that once again we will witness such a scenario," Špirić said.

Speaking about the initiative to reduce fuel excise duties, Špirić assessed that this is an attempt to undermine the budgets of the entities and the institutions of BiH. He expressed regret that the opposition from Republika Srpska has fallen for what he called the populism of political Sarajevo and, in its desire for power, is undermining the institutional stability of Republika Srpska.

"I understand that some want to help citizens, but that is the task of entity governments, not populism aimed at gaining advantage ahead of the October elections," he said.

He stressed that SNSD will not do anything outside the constitution and the Law on the System of Indirect Taxation, especially since the law clearly states that the consent of entity governments is reflected through the positions of entity finance ministers, who are members of the Governing Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority, without whom no decision can be made.

"Secondly, the Indirect Taxation Authority has a planning department that should support such measures with economic calculations, which we again do not have in this case. This is pure populism, and I believe there will be further such requests, that is, tests of the will of us from Republika Srpska," Špirić said.

According to him, SNSD has no problem with the demand to lower excise duties on oil and petroleum products, but everything must be structured in accordance with the constitution and the law.

"Especially the Law on the System of Indirect Taxation, which in Article 19 states that the policy of indirect taxes is determined by the Governing Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority, which includes VAT, excise duties, and various types of fees," Špirić said, adding that any change to the law must be supported by a positive opinion of the Governing Board, which is not the case here.

He emphasized that in times of crises of any kind, especially economic crises caused by war and accompanied by soaring oil and fuel prices, a calm and rational approach is necessary.

"In such situations, what is needed is mathematics, calculations, and respect for the law. Heated rhetoric and empty populism aimed at creating a political spectacle are not enough. That brings no benefit - only chaos. The only thing more dangerous than rising prices is chaos within the system," Špirić warned.