“Our partnership with Bosnia and Herzegovina, its citizens and institutions, was reaffirmed through the European Union’s swift response in the immediate aftermath of the floods in 2014 and the comprehensive EU floods recovery programme that was launched thereafter,” said Melvin Asin, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the conference hosted in Sarajevo today by the BiH High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council (HJPC).

Worth 43.52 million Euro, the EU Floods Recovery Programme was launched in August 2014 and completed in February 2016, assisting approximately 610,000 citizens throughout BiH. The Programme rehabilitated more than 4,000 houses and 100 public facilities across the country; it has assisted numerous small and medium enterprises and agricultural producers to maintain their production, and restored local and communal infrastructure re-connecting many communities.

The HJPC presented the activities and results of the efforts in the rehabilitation of buildings of judicial institutions affected by floods in May 2014, and awarded the representatives of the EU Delegation, USAID, UNICEF, governments of Norway, Sweden and Switzerland with certificates of appreciation for their support.

“When it comes to judicial institutions severely affected by the floods, with IPA funds we are financing the reconstruction of the Doboj Courthouse hosting three courts (Basic Court, District Court, District Commercial Court) and the prosecutor’s office,” Asin said. “The works are expected to start before the summer. I hope that this time next year we will have a reconstructed, operational modern building that will serve the employees and citizens in Doboj in the best possible manner. The good cooperation with the HJPC and the Government of Norway should be mentioned in this regard.”

The European Union will also implement the second part of the EU assistance in the amount of 41 million Euro, to help BiH improve its resilience to natural disasters, provide additional assistance to housing rehabilitation, SMEs and local economic development in flood affected areas, and to support local NGOs with social development recovery assistance.