The EU representatives met with the Bosnian state parliament, the parliamentary representatives from Bosnia’s two entities - Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina - and representatives from Brcko district. The Monday meeting was the first in a series of events in the “Parliament for Europe” initiative organized by the EU, with the goal of advancing Bosnia’s efforts to join the European Union.
In 2009, the Bosnian government set up the agency as a chief requirement for lifting visa restrictions for European travel. However, the agency was ineffective from the beginning, mainly due to the lack of a state budget to support it. As the state government has been unable to establish a budget for two years, state institutions were operating on temporary financing, and unable to amend the budget.
“The agency was legally created but as with many issues in Bosnia – once there is a law there are sometimes difficulties in having it completely implemented,” said Pampaloni.
The European Commission’s report on Bosnia’s progress is due in June, and Bosnia’s progress in the fight against corruption will be a prominent issue. Thus, Pampaloni stressed, getting the anti-corruption agency to function at the level it should be is a priority. At present, the agency has only one director, two deputies, and several administrative staff.
