Dnevni avaz: The European Union has separated 500 million Euros of the assistance to the countries of the West Balkans for overcoming of financial and economic crisis, and BiH would from that amount receive up to 100 million Euros, has been said for "Dnevni avaz" by the chief of the European Commission Delegation in BiH, Dimitris Kourkoulas.
– There will be mobilization of new significant amounts of money for the assistance to this region. This is politically very significant, because the EU as a part of that plan for the response to financial crisis, has also included the measures for this region, for the countries candidates and potential candidates among which is BiH. This is a proof that we feel responsible for these countries and for the members of the Union as well – Kourkoulas has said.
According to him, that money will be placed through the international financial institutions in the region and in BiH.
– It is about the new separations which are an urgent response to the crisis. Next year already the money should go to where it is predicted to go – Kourkoulas says.
Population census is a stimulus for return
Kourkoulas states that the EC follows the implementation of the agreement from Prud and repeats that the population census is a thing that has to be done.
– Non-existence of relevant data is a key obstacle for the return. We have done a lot on the assistance and reconstruction of return and there is no a real data on the basis of which the assistance in the sustainable return and implementation of the Annex 7 could be focused and implemented in right way – he says.
Besides those 500 million Euros which will be placed by financial institutions, the European Union has mobilized more than 100 million Euros from the IPA funds, which will be used for an urgent assistance to the region.
– It is about the funds which are a part of already separated budget for the IPA funds, but it will now immediately be used. There are more options in what way we will allocate the money, through the standard IPA procedure through the projects or by that money Brussels will dispose directly and decide on more concrete intentions – he says.
Kourkoulas explains that, by having in mind the irregular circumstances, the Union still has not totally précised by which system will the money be divided and in what way, which is expected in the next period.
– There are more things which the Commission needs to precise and the decisions which should be adopted, but the intention of the EU is clear, and it is to help BiH and other countries to respond in a right way to the situation in which we are all together. We are in constant contacts with Brussels in order to define this, and because of that the amounts about which we talk, are still framed – Kourkoulas says.
When speaking of crisis, he talked about the measures which BiH has taken, especially the Central Bank of BiH, which he graded as "adequate and very professional" response to financial crisis in BiH.
– The reaction should be greeted and it should be admitted that the measures at first sight have stopped appearing of crisis in financial sector. The governments must create a set of measures by which they would help and make easier to economy and investors – Kourkoulas says.
He says that it is about a deep crisis and recession which brings less work and worse days. As he says, first thing BiH must do is to remove the obstacles in development of business.
BiH must do much more to ease the work in economy and create better conditions. According to all parameters, business environment in BiH is the worst in region. Only for building licenses or establishing of company it is being waited for months. This has to be changed – Kourkoulas has said.