KOŠARAC: NO AGREEMENT IN THE FBiH ON PROTECTING DOMESTIC PRODUCTION

BIJELJINA, NOVEMBER 15 /SRNA/ - Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in the Council of Ministers Staša Košarac said that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement /SAA/ is highly detrimental to domestic primary agricultural production and that protective measures should be introduced in response to the enormous increase in imports from the EU.

"Our people are right to be dissatisfied and to say that excessive imports are harming domestic primary production. However, we do not have the political consensus of the political structures in the FBiH to introduce protective measures, nor do we have the agreement of parties from the Federation to enter into negotiations with the EU on adapting the SAA," Košarac said.

The minister announced that they would not give up and would seek ways to resolve the issue.

He said the most significant development would be obtaining the approval of the Council of Ministers to begin new negotiations with the EU on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement /SAA/ and the process of adapting it in the area of agricultural production.

"We are entitled to do so under the agreement, but we do not have the political consent of the Federation of BiH to take such a step," Košarac said.

During a visit to the 10th Semberija Meat Fair in Bijeljina, Košarac said that Republika Srpska had significant capacities for primary production and processing, particularly of pork, but that domestic production needed to be protected.

"I have not succeeded as a minister, and I regret that I do not have the legal authority to introduce protective measures myself, through an official act," Košarac said.

He added that the Council of Ministers had on several occasions failed to secure the necessary consent to adopt such decisions, which they were entitled to take under the SAA, probably because some people in BiH were, in a sense, beholden to the European Commission.

He said work on the issue must continue, noting that the institutions of Republika Srpska and President Milorad Dodik, together with Serb representatives in BiH institutions, had consistently advocated the introduction of protective measures.

"But when we made decisions on these issues, we did not receive support from the parties in the Federation of BiH, or their representatives and institutions," Košarac said.

The minister praised the Semberija Meat Fair, which has been held for 10 years, and visited exhibitors, stressing that his role was to protect the interests of people engaged in production who had invested substantial capital in meat-processing facilities.

"My interest is not in protecting the EU; I am protecting our farmers, our producers and our processors," Košarac said.

He cited as a problem the fact that BiH can import livestock from the EU, but cannot export meat from that same livestock to the EU after it has undergone the necessary processing.

"I believe that the institutions of Republika Srpska, through the allocation of budget funds, will help ease the mounting problems people are facing in their business operations," Košarac concluded.