Bosnia Press Review - December 18

NEZAVISNE NOVINE

The Bosnian Finance Ministry has prepared a new 2010 budget proposal to accommodate requests by Bosnian Serb deputies in the central parliament to reverse the decision by the presidency on a 12.5 million euro budget increase for sustainable refugee return. However, the ministry has provided the funding for refugee return by reducing the allocations for the operational costs of all the government ministries. The Finance Ministry hopes that the new proposal will win support in the parliament before the end of the year to open the way for the release of a much-needed 95 million euro second installment of the 1.2 billion euro stand-by deal with the International Monetary Fund.

 GLAS SRPSKE

The parliament of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity of Republika Srpska on Thursday adopted amendments to three laws regulating public sector salaries. Consequently, salaries for police and in the education sector will be reduced by 3 percent in the first six months of next year, while salaries of government administration workers will be reduced by 10 percent throughout 2010. Also, the salaries of high-ranking government officials will be reduced by between 15 and 25 percent. Bosnian Serb administration and local self-governance minister Zoran Lipovac said that some 8.7 million euros will be saved as a result of these changes.

OSLOBODJENJE

An association gathering families of Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) soldiers killed during Bosnia’s 1992-95 war said they “would go to war” with the government of the country’s Bosniak-Croat Federation over proposed changes to its social benefits program required by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The association announced major protests if the government goes ahead with measures to improve social benefits targeting.