Political leaders agree on how IMF aid package should be divided among entities

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Leaders of Bosnia’s ruling parties agreed Saturday on how to divide the 330 million euro the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is prepared to lend the country for its fight against the coronavirus, paving the way for the sum to be transferred.

The IMF has agreed to double its original sum for Bosnia but said it will only approve the loan after the country’s two semi-autonomous regions – the Serb-majority Republika Srpska (RS) and the Bosniak-Croat majority Federation (FBiH) – determine how much each entity will get.

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Leaders of the main ethnic parties, Bosnia's Croat Democratic Union (HDZ BiH), the Bosniak Party for Democratic Action (SDA) and the Serb Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD), met with EU and IMF officials on Saturday to discuss the issue.

They concluded that the FBiH will get 62 percent and the RS 38 percent of the funds.

Both regions will then give half a percent of their share to the Brcko District, which belongs to neither of the two entities.

Negotiations regarding the distribution of the money between the ten cantons in FBiH will continue, SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic said.

However, according to HDZ BiH leader Dragan Covic an agreement has also already been reached on that issue.

“As for the Federation, 50 percent will go to the cantons and 50 percent will fo to the FBiH government level,” he said.