Press release
A delegation of Coalition 143 (K-143) and BiH local government representatives visit Berlin
A delegation of Coalition 143 – Coalition for Local Self-Government in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), together with local government representatives from BiH, visited Berlin from November 29 to December 2, 2011. During the visit, organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the delegation presented the coalition and its programme goals on the German political scene.
In Berlin, the delegation, comprised of 5 coalition representatives from Banja Luka, Livno and Sarajevo, with the participation of the Mayor of Cazin, Nermin Ogresevic, and the Deputy Mayor of the City of Sarajevo, Miroslav Zivanovic, attended a series of meetings and roundtables with government representatives, parliamentary parties and civil society organisations.
During the meetings, coalition members discussed the motivation behind their initiative, the continued political and institutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and failed domestic and international efforts to initiate reforms aimed at creating a functional state. They elaborated on the coalition objective of promoting institutional reforms based on a bottom-up approach through a broad-based public campaign, and through direct participation of citizens in discourse relating to reforms and the reform process. Concurrently, dialogue will be initiated to identify which institutions, in the best interest of BiH citizens, should be located at the state level, within the framework of the EU integration process, which offers significant funds and access to the European market. This would be one of the first positive steps towards resolving the enormous socio-economic problems burdening Bosnia and Herzegovina.
While in Berlin, Coalition 143 representatives had the opportunity to acquaint members of the German-Bosnian Parliamentary Group of the German Bundestag with their initiative. During the meeting, they received pledges of support for the goals of the initiative from the members of parliament in attendance. Subsequently, Member of Parliament Marieluise Beck, from Alliance 90/The Greens, in her statement before the Bundestag on December 1 during a plenary debate about BiH, referred to K-143, describing the coalition’s ideas as “the future of Bosnia”.
At a meeting with a representative of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, local government representatives from BiH and coalition members shared a comparative analysis of the experiences of Germany and BiH in relation to local self-government.
Over the course of two meetings devoted to agriculture, discussion focused on the future of EU agricultural policy and the ecological transformation of agriculture in Europe. The multitude of opportunities available through EU integration were raised, as well as the state institutions required for this process and the importance of the local level of government in promoting agriculture and the development of rural areas.
During the time shared with coalition members and at scheduled meetings, Mr. Nermin Ogrešević and Mr. Miroslav Živanović, speaking from their everyday experiences at the municipal level, highlighted the importance of the municipal level of government on the road toward a functional and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina. In this context, they offered their full support for coalition goals.
Contact: koalicija143@gmail.com
Coalition 143 on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/COALITION-143/266849790027671?sk=wall
The formation of the Coalition was facilitated with the support of the Open Society Fund BiH,
the Royal Norwegian Embassy in BiH and Heinrich Böll Stiftung