“Returning the budget to the Council of Ministers for a second time is bad news,” said the High Representative and EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajčák today. Lajčák was meeting with the Chair of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Council of Ministers, Nikola Spiric, in Sarajevo.

Yesterday the BiH Presidency returned the draft 2008 budget for the State institutions to the Council of Ministers for a second time.

“This can only slow the development of key BiH institutions and will put increased pressure on them to implement a year long programme in what is now realistically nine months at best” said the High Representative and EU Special Representative.

Warning that a third failure would send a very negative message to the BiH public the High Representative and EU Special Representative called for the Council of Ministers and the Presidency to coordinate closely on a proposal which would finally move past the Presidency and into Parliamentary procedure.

“The current situation reaffirms the needs for negotiation, compromise and coordination in BiH,” said the High Representative and EU Special Representative.

With the return of the budget the BiH Council of Ministers has been left in an impossible position. The Presidency must show a necessary level of responsibility for the functionality of the State and work with the Council of Ministers to find a solution.