FBiH Government with Water Alliance: Reiterating Commitment to Continuing Water Services Reform

A delegation of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, led by Federal Prime Minister Nermin Nikšić, held a meeting today at the headquarters of the FBiH Government in Sarajevo with representatives of international development partners gathered within the Water Alliance, dedicated to improving water services in the Federation of BiH. This Alliance consists of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, the embassies of Switzerland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic in our country, the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the European Investment Bank.

The meeting was also attended by the Vice-President of the Federation and Federal Minister of Finance Toni Kraljević, Federal Minister of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry Kemal Hrnjić, Justice Minister Vedran Škobić, Environment and Tourism Minister Nasiha Pozder, and representatives of the water agencies for the Adriatic Sea and Sava River basins.

Discussions focused on the continuation of the reform process in the water services sector and future activities on the process of harmonizing and adopting the law on water services in the Federation of BiH.

The meeting included the presentation of the results achieved so far, pointing out that the Program for the Improvement of the Water Services Sector was adopted by the FBiH Government in 2022, including a comprehensive regulatory assessment conducted and an inter-sectoral working group formed in 2023. In 2024, the Draft Law on Water Services was developed and submitted to the relevant institutions and cantons for opinions. It was noted that not all cantons have submitted their opinions.

The meeting pointed out that the law being prepared and to be adopted at the level of the Federation of BiH should establish a legal framework and uniform standards that will enable more efficient and higher quality service provision to citizens.

Representatives of the Water Alliance emphasized the importance of continuing reforms in the water and environment sectors, and of harmonizing and adopting the legal solution as a precondition for further financial and technical support.

It was agreed that the representatives of the FBiH Government hold meetings with representatives of cantonal governments in the coming period to consider possibilities for continuing the reform process of the water services sector in the Federation of BiH, as reported by the FBiH Government Public Relations Office.