AMIDŽIĆ: IT IS A LIE THAT GROWTH PLAN FUNDS ARE FREE FOR SRPSKA

BANJA LUKA, AUGUST 18 /SRNA/ - Minister of Finance and Treasury in the Council of Ministers Srđan Amidžić said it was a lie that the funds from the Growth Plan were free, as part of the money has to be repaid, and the European Commission determines how it will be spent.

"These are funds through which they are indebting us and telling us which projects we must carry out," Amidžić told reporters in Banja Luka. He said there is a procedure under which infrastructure projects are determined by the EU, rather than by the Republika Srpska Government. He added that such loans are not favorable, and that Republika Srpska is now recognized by other international financial institutions from which it can secure more funding than is available under the Growth Plan. He stressed that the European Commission determines how every euro is spent. "It is as if I were to tell you what the priorities in your home are, even though I have never been inside that home," Amidžić said. He explained that the Growth Plan needs to be broken down into its constituent parts and that it includes around 970 million euros in funding. "Of that amount, 700 million euros consists of loans. The public is being led to believe that the Growth Plan is worth nearly one billion euros, that the money should simply be distributed to the people and that no one has any obligations. Of that amount, 700 million euros is in loans, and €270 million to €280 million is in grants," Amidžić stressed. He added that the grant is divided between the FBiH and Republika Srpska, and that "anyone who says this is some kind of free funding for Republika Srpska is lying".