Bosnia and Herzegovina needs better, not larger bureaucracy; has been concluded today in Sarajevo by the High Representative Valentin Inzko, while speaking at the press conference upon beginning of the second session of the "Parliament for Europe" third cycle, dedicated to the public administration reform in BiH.
The High Representative for BiH and the EU Special Representative has mentioned the last year’s European Commission report on progress of BiH, which emphasizes worry due to the lack of the progress in this area, firstly because of politization and omitting appointments for the key functions. "Instead of proactively supporting efforts to make bureaucracy at all administrative levels more economic and efficient, political parties have tried again to impose politics in appointment procedures and establish political party control over all areas of civil service”, has been warned by Inzko, who also added that the public administration should serve citizens, not political leaders. "Ensuring an efficient, just and transparent civil service is obviously not the same as building obedient and politically led bureaucracy, and that is exactly what some political parties are trying to do", Inzko has said by adding "parliamentarians should assist in ensuring an efficient civil service for BiH citizens, in order for them not to be forced to bear the burden of politically controlled bureaucracy."
Laszlo Toth, Ambassador of Hungary in BiH, country that currently presides by the European Union, has promised to describe at the conference the road that his country has passed in associating the European Union. He believes that BiH is able to pass the road towards the Euro-Atlantic integration, but as with Hungary and other countries, integration will not come as a gift. "Since the first day, Hungary has been supporting stability of BiH and its road to the Euro-Atlantic integration; therefore it will continue assisting BiH on that road" has been said by Ambassador Toth.
Semiha Borovac, State Coordinator for Public Administration Reform in BiH, has reminded that the public administration reform is being implemented equally at all four levels – BiH, the Republic of Srpska, the Federation of BiH and the Brčko District of BiH, and implementing public administration reform is a key condition of the European Partnership. She has also added that she cannot be satisfied by the present public administration reform course, because, as the European Commission has noticed, insufficient progress has been achieved. However, according to her, BiH is somewhere half way of the public administration reform. "Therefore prepared has been the revised Action plan 1 of the PAR Strategy, which will follow recommendations of the European Commission, Borovac has said.
"I really want to convince you that there is a readiness in BiH for implementing this reform and that with the strengthened coordination line we will do what has been planed by the new revised AP", she has pointed out. "Even though the revised AP1 will be adopted by the Council of Ministers of BiH, governments of the FBiH and the RS, as well as the Mayor of the BD BiH, we expect understanding and support from parliamentarians in this process. They are expected to react faster when it is about the changes and adopting new laws proposed through the PAR Strategy", Borovac has said and added that parliamentarians are also expected to financially support the public administration reform implementation.
"We are developing a new plan; it is an institutional building of capacities required for the system of accepting the acquis communautaire. The European Union and the Technical Assistance Team assist us in this process, so we hope that our activities will be realized in a part that relates to civil service, its professionalism and better quality of work", she has said.
The participants of the "Parliament for Europe", or parliamentarians from the newly selected legislation of state, entities and the Brčko District of BiH, have been introduced by the State PAR Coordinator in BiH to the PAR Strategy in BiH, as well as to the situation and role of the BiH Parliament in this process.
Dr. Gregor Virant, former Minister for Public Administration of Slovenia and part-time professor of the Faculty for Public Administration of the University in Ljubljana, has pointed out that the public administration reform is very significant for the EU integration, quality of life and economy concurrence. According to him, public administration reform in BiH will not be simple due to its constitutional structure. He has pointed to the significant role of politics in the public administration reform.
Participants of the second session of the "Parliament for Europe" third cycle held in the center of the European Union Delegation in BiH, besides Mrs. Borovac, Mr. Inzko, Mr. Toth and Mr. Virant, have also been Mr. Boris Iarochevitch, Head of Operations at the European Commission Delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Samuel Žbogar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Nikolaј Mladenov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria …