(Fena/MOJportal) – During the conference held today on the project "Capacity Building of the Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina", participants have pointed out a significance of the public administration reform as one of the key priorities related to the ambitions of our country to integrate itself into the European society.
The Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Renzo Daviddi, by pointing out the significance and need for a good country coordination not only for the European Integration of our country, but also for the improvement of its economy and opening new work positions, he has said that the European Union really pays a huge attention to a quality country coordination. The necessity of implementing reforms in this area is even more emphasized in BiH because of its complex structure and a previous very slow development.
"All researches show that BiH citizens want their country to be in the European Union, but the institutions have not yet responded to their wishes", Daviddi has said. Certain progress in the public administration reform process has been evidenced, BiH has a public strategy and the Revised Action plan for its implementation, but the PARCO requires a stronger support in order to achieve better results. Daviddi has added that the EU will monitor the implementation of the new, revised Action plan for the PAR Strategy implementation and that the EU has been supporting and is always ready to support different programs of the reform.
The Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sadik Ahmetović, by addressing the participants of conference and journalists, has also pointed out the significance of the public administration reform as one of the key priorities of the European Partnership, a precondition of the EU Integration of BiH as well as the reform significance for undertaking and more successful implementation of the European legislation in future.
"Reformed public administration should serve to the best interest of citizens, but also contribute to development of country and its economic prosperity. In the previous period, the Council of Ministers of BiH, as well as the entity governments and the Government of the Brčko District of BiH have adopted a list of documents by which they have contributed to the public administration reform to receive its place at the political list of priorities. Reports of the PARCO that are being deliberated by the Council of Ministers of BiH at the semiannual and annual basis, show that the government institutions in BiH have implemented more than 50 % of measures from the Action plan 1 of the PAR Strategy in BiH. It should be pointed out that a list of projects that have contributed to the execution of measures of the Action plan has been implemented thanks to the donor assistance of Sweden, the Great Britain, Holland and Norway as well as the European Union Delegation in BiH", has been said by Minister Ahmetović.
Determination of the Council of Ministers of BiH for the continuation of the public administration reform process has been confirmed by adopting the Revised Action plan, as well as by the approval of signing the Annex III Memorandum on Understanding for the Establishment of the PAR Fund as a financial instrument for implementation of the Strategy, which has enabled further investments of donors, he has added.
"That the Council of Ministers of BiH supports the public administration reform process speaks the fact that around 450 thousands KM will be allocated by 2013 for co-financing of the Fund. Funds for the Fund have been allocated by the Government of the Brčko District of BiH and the Government of the Federation of BiH, and we expect that the public administration reform will be supported by the Government of the Republic of Srpska as well", Sadik Ametović has said.
The National PAR Coordinator, Semiha Borovac has expressed a gratefulness to donor countries and representatives of all administration levels who have expressed their readiness to make the public administration more efficient. She has also pointed out that strategic documents in this area, adopted by our country, tend to make the public administration adapted to the European standards. Even though our country has a certain progress in the area of public administration, it is clear from the European reports that there is still a lot to do in that process, which requires political support, strenthening capacities and other preconditions as well, Borovac has said.
The Prime Minister of the Federation of BiH, Nermin Nikšić has said that the modernization of public administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not only required for the European Integrations, but also for the expectations of citizens to whom the reform has been promised as an initiator of a sustainable development. When speaking of the FBiH, he has added that the guidelines from the Revised Action plan will significantly contribute to the program objectives in the public administration sector. He has expressed determination for an elimination of key lacks of the public administration whose reform does not have an alternative, according to his opinion. "We all must tend to the introduction of best practices from this area into our legal system", Nikšić has concluded.
In behalf of the Government of the Republic of Srpska, Lejla Rešić, Minister of Administration and Local Self Governance, has said that the entity government is aware of a significance of the reform, and that besides the PAR Strategy objectives and the objectives of the Action plan for its implementation, the Government of the RS is adopting the laws (on Government, on Salaries, etc.), as well as the regulations directed towards the more efficient public administration. "We are obliged to continue the reform in a more active manner; the Government of the RS is ready to move towards that goal", Rešić has said.
The representative of the Government of the Brčko District of BiH, Brano Jovičić has pointed out that the Action plan 1 and the Revised Action plan 1 are of a specific interest for the District because of the fact that this territorial unit does not want be an isolated island, but actively participate in the public administration reform process in order for Bosnia and Herzegovina to achieve the pre-accession or even the accession phase in a sense of its ambitions for the European Integrations.
The project "Strengthening capacities of the PARCO in BiH" (EUPAR) is being financed by the European Union from funds of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) in the amount of 1.845.400 Euros. The project objective is strengthening capacities of the PARCO through professional advising related to the PAR Strategy implementation and drafting strategic documents and revised action plans related to the further strategy implementation.