REPEATED FAILURE TO ADOPT BUDGET SPEAKS TO IMPOSSIBLE ATMOSPHERE IN BiH

KOSTAJNICA, JUNE 13 /SRNA/ - Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik believes that the fact that BiH Presidency members Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić once again failed to support this year's budget at today's session speaks to the impossible atmosphere in BiH, and that citizens of Republika Srpska should instead focus on their issues.

"We are all equally unsuccessful in BiH, because there's always some kind of bickering. If two finance ministries agree on the budget, what do two Presidency members have to do with that?" Dodik asked.

He told reporters in Kostajnica that although the Presidency members are the formal proposers of the budget, it is absurd to block the adoption of the budget in Parliament and then blame someone else for it.

"They have ambitions to use the budget to push through some of their plans; they want to impose new institutions, and all of this speaks to the impossible atmosphere in BiH. But it also tells us, the citizens of Republika Srpska, that we should completely focus on ourselves and our issues, and let them adopt whatever they want," Dodik emphasized.

Members of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović and Željko Komšić, once again did not support the Draft Bill on the Budget of BiH Institutions and International Obligations for 2025 at today's session, which means the adoption process cannot proceed, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in the Council of Ministers says in a press release.

Since the Presidency of BiH is the constitutional proposer, it is not possible to adopt this year's budget until the budget proposal is submitted by the Presidency to the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, which must adopt the document in both Houses.