Nezavisne novine: Everyone in the Federation of BiH has become a part of a knotty hank of political ambient and they show that the FBiH is not a mature society for adopting the huge decisions and projects, has been said by the prime minister, of the FBiH, Nedžad Branković.
He thinks that the FBiH should sell the telecoms and minority stakes in companies, and by strengthening the portfolio of the Developmental bank in the FBiH ensure the funds for investments and moderation of consequences of economic crisis.
NN: Is there a recession in BiH or in the FBiH?
BRANKOVIĆ: If we have had a fall of the gross social product in relation to the last year or its negative growth, it will mean that we have a recession. Economists say that this is a definition of recession.
NN: But, every day we receive the information on releasing the workers, breaking the contracts with foreign investors?
BRANKOVIĆ: That is economic crisis. Because of the economic crisis on the third markets, our companies are losing the market and this is why we have to increase the internal capital investment spending. One substitution for lost markets outside the country is an increased spending inside the country in order for companies which have lost the foreign markets to place their production on domestic market.
NN: Which measures does the Government prepare for moderating the consequences of crisis?
BRANKOVIĆ: In the first quarter this year we have to do everything what is important for us to reduce and stabilize the public spending, which has been enormously high. We have to open the question of reform of the institutions because the Federation is an expensive and dysfunctional society. Financing those institutions goes to the burden of employers and they have promised that they will not release the workers. They want the state to disburden them and that is only possible by the reduction of expenditures of the institutions, and that is possible by reducing their number. We have predicted the measures for which it is being said that they poach in the Constitution, and we are now facing the laws from social area, which can no longer be financed. That is a consequence of a huge number of institutions and unequal standards of their work. In the example of non-war disabled persons: resolutions have been issued by the Centers for social work by different standards and criterions and instead of 15.000 or 20.000 users, on the basis of initial estimation, we today have 130.000 issued resolutions.
NN: Can the Government implement the determined measures in three months?
BRANKOVIĆ: We will do what is up to the Government. The whole plan implies the mobility of all who work on creating the program and influence the changes of law, and that encompasses political and legislative government.
NN: What concretely needs to happen in the next three months?
BRANKOVIĆ: We have to intensively move to suppressing the misuse of right where the personal transfers are being paid from the budget. We have also exaggerated in exaggerating and anything can no longer be financed. We have to analyze how to reduce the contributions to the employers.
NN: Is there a unity on these measures in the Government of the FBiH?
BRANKOVIĆ: Yes. There were some complaints and comments, but this is not a government of single intelligence and one-party system and we have adopted all by acclimation.
NN: How will the Government of the FBiH make up the deficit from last year and balance this year's expenditures with the previous?
BRANKOVIĆ: What we have not managed to make up in last year are not the expenditures of administration or salaries, but initiated and unfinished projects. This year it would be useful to finance those projects, because that way a part of money will be inserted into this year's financial flows. What we have not made up in last year, is the additional investment in this year. Some of money we expect from the succession, but we also talk to the World Bank.
NN: How does the thing with the sale of telecom and building of the highway stand in the actual economic circumstances?
BRANKOVIĆ: In the FBiH we make mistakes because already several years we see the sale of telecom only as a change of the owner and a possible misuse of the process of privatization. Privatization in the FBiH has a broader context because it means returning of the financial sovereignty to the hands of the Government and the FBiH. If we have sold the telecom three years ago, we would have had our money and we would be placing it by our conditions by solving the financial problems which our companies now have. If we have sold the telecom, we would have the capital. That passive capital now we look as family silver instead of activating it.
NN: But, is this the right time for sale?
BRANKOVIĆ: That can be shown only by market, and everything else is only a lumpy evaluation. It would be ok for us to collect the unofficial offers and evaluate what we do. For me the question is if the money is worth more if you have it or if you do not?
NN: Do you, as the first man of the Government lobby by political parties to support in the Parliament of the FBiH what the Government does?
BRANKOVIĆ: I do not lobby, but I explain. It is pity that the Government mandate program of work is not in a full capacity supported in the performable part. We also have had mistakes and omissions, but we have all in the FBiH become a knotty hank of this political ambient and complexity of institutions, by showing that we are immature society for the adoption of huge decisions and projects. We do not have much experience in those projects and it is not a shame to say that there is something we do not know, because where the knowledge ends-doubts begin. The roof of knowledge by us, in an average, is very low and this is why there are so many fears and doubts.
NN: Would you return that program of privatization in the Parliament of the FBiH?
BRANKOVIĆ: I do not know. It was a part of the integral project which has had some sense in that context. We will offer solutions for an exit. We are preparing the law on privatization and on public and private partnership. I hope that the upcoming problems which are showing in the form of every-day's releases of hundreds of workers, will not bring to the fact that the publicity understands that without public works and investments there is no recovery.
NN: By April you need to create a rebalance of the budget of the FBiH?
BRANKOVIĆ: We follow the flows of public revenues and they are 16 to 17% smaller than in January last year, and when we finish the reduction of public spending, we will prepare the elements for rebalance.
NN: How will you reduce the public spending?
BRANKOVIĆ: The salaries to prime ministers and other ministers have already been reduced, total expenditures of administration we have reduced by 20% and salaries in public state companies have been reduced as well. We also adopt the laws by which we protect the rights of those, who really need it, and eliminate those who have withdrawn by the papers because all the forms of proving the need through the false papers have been patented by us. When we implement certain audits, we will know how much we have reduced the public spending and on the basis of that we will do a rebalance and redirect the saving into the stimulations of agriculture, investments, reduction of contributions.
I am not afraid of threats
NN: Have you received the report of police after the investigation regarding the graffiti written on the wall of the building in which you live?
BRANKOVIĆ: I have not reacted to graffiti and a quantity of campaign related to that graffiti is not clear to me. I have reacted to the reaction of institutions, because some persons between three and four after the midnight feel free to hit by the paint a window of the room in which my children sleep. That morning there was paint, but other morning can be something else.
NN: Are you afraid of threats, and do they, according to you, have the same burden as those to the journalists or Svetlana Đurković from the Queer-association?
BRANKOVIĆ: If I was afraid of them, I would not be doing this job. Threats are threats, but the threats to a man from the executive government are those which are being realized.