Dnevni avaz: The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Nikola Špirić, does not think that the problems of the lack of employees in the Directorate for European Integrations (DEI) of our country are of such proportions that they can endanger the road of BiH to the European Union.
Young employees
Osman Topčagić, director of the DEI, warned that BiH must enlarge institutional capacities so it could implement the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and continue European integrations. He pointed out that those jobs are worked on by only 60 people, instead of 108, as foreseen.
All those are problems we are facing, but they cannot endanger our fulfillment of obligations, because as we get closer to the EU, these capacities of the BiH institutions will be filled so we could endure all the challenges. What BiH lacks, at least what had been shown so far, is the political will – commented Špirić for the “Dnevni avaz”.
He confirmed there are also problems with the lack of room, where experts would work, but that that is the sign that such system must be made in which work in the civil service would be lucrative for young people who want to be educated and work in the institutions of BiH.
Comprehensive programme
It would be good to bare in mind also that, when we are discussing legislation projects, such as the law on salaries, as long as the work in entity institutions is more lucrative than the work in the state ones, that is not good. In any case, as we get closer to the EU, the institutions which can bare all the challenges will be developed. It is both mine and Topčagić’s job to remove bottlenecks which appear on that road – Špirić pointed out.
He underlined that the Council of Ministers will require from all the institutions to elaborate what are the weaknesses and problems and in which way they can be removed, for the purpose of making the comprehensive programme. He concluded that all that can be overcame only if there is political will.
Behave as if we have signed the SAA
When it comes to postponement of signing the SAA, the chairman of the Council of Ministers stressed that it is almost certain that reasons for that are only of technical nature.
I am sorry we in BiH spent four and a half years on outwitting, and left for Brussels only one month, although they said that they need more time to finish their part of the job in a technical sense. We must behave as if we have signed the SAA, there is a lot of work we have to do, and not to make hysteria on the date, whether it is May or June. Of course it is good to make it happen as soon as possible, but we do not need ceremonial signing, but essential one and I think Brussels will soon set that date – said Špirić.