BUDIMIR: IDDEEA NOT HOLDER OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN BiH

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 4 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister of Interior Željko Budimir emphasized that the law does not specify the BiH Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange /IDDEEA/ as the authority responsible for digital transformation in BiH, which is why the address delivered today in Sarajevo by the agency's director, Almir Badnjević, to members of the Peace Implementation Council /PIC/ was particularly inappropriate.

"It is almost pointless to comment on his address, in which he sees himself as the sole savior of digital transformation, and on his lack of knowledge whereby he equates the sovereignty of BiH with digital identity," Budimir said. He stressed that it is shameful for someone to speak on this subject when both the Personal Data Protection Agency of BiH and the Court of BoH have clearly and unequivocally established the illegality of IDDEEA's model of conduct in its attempt to establish a qualified electronic signature in the cloud, thereby confirming that the agency exceeded its legal authority and acted contrary to the positive legal regulations of BiH. Budimir explained that IDDEEA's activities related to the qualified digital signature have no legal basis, constitute a serious violation of the law, and leave room for the mass misuse of the personal data of citizens of BiH and other individuals who expressed interest in obtaining such a signature. "In light of all this, it is completely clear that this is a systematic attempt at institutional overreach, legal coercion, and the unlawful appropriation of competencies that belong to other authorities at both the state and entity levels, accompanied by continuous manipulation of the public, institutions, and international partners," Budimir said. He noted that the Republika Srpska Interior Ministry has consistently warned in recent years about unlawful actions by IDDEEA that mislead the public. "Once again, we reaffirm that position because we are committed to improving the functionality of the system in accordance with the law and the Constitution," Budimir stated. He reiterated that IDDEEA's competencies are clearly and unambiguously defined by law and that there is no room for positioning the agency as a key partner in activities of crucial importance to digital processes in BiH. "The key partners in these processes can only be the competent authorities, such as the interior ministries and law enforcement bodies in BiH, not an institution whose role is the technical maintenance of records and databases," Budimir concluded.