Serb delegate in the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Radovan Kovačević, emphasized that culture is not within the jurisdiction of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but rather under the authority of the entities and cantons.
Speaking about the issue of resolving the status of seven cultural institutions in Sarajevo that are referred to as “state” institutions and expect funding from the BiH budget, Kovačević explained to Radio Free Europe that for any institution to be officially considered “state-level,” it must have the consent of both entities and all relevant actors in BiH.
Referring to Christian Schmidt—who presents himself as the high representative—ordering the BiH-level authorities six months ago to resolve the status of these institutions, Kovačević stressed that Schmidt’s intervention cannot serve as a “starting point for any solution” and that no serious discussions have taken place on this matter in BiH.
The institutions in question include the National and University Library of BiH, the National Museum and the Historical Museum of BiH, the Museum of Literature and Theater Arts of BiH, the Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired Persons of BiH, the Art Gallery, and the Film Archive (Kinoteka) of BiH.
All of them carry the BiH designation and are headquartered in Sarajevo.
Republika Srpska, in accordance with the Constitution of BiH, maintains its own cultural institutions, which are financed from the budget of Republika Srpska.
Source: RTRS
