Zenica, 17 September 2018 – A ceremony was held today in Zenica, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to celebrate the moving in of 62 RHP beneficiary families – returnees and displaced persons. This multi-apartment building, with a total cost of EUR 1.2 million, is part of the BiH3 sub-project, which foresees the construction of 27 apartment buildings with 552 flats throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Semiha Borovac, Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said: “The Regional Housing Programme has an integrative effect on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also on the region. All four levels of authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are involved in its implementation, including 83 municipalities. With the joint work in all four Partner Countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, we have managed to achieve a lot so that numerous persons, who left their homes more than twenty years ago, can now live in safety again.”

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in BiH, stated: “The RHP is really about peoples’ lives, their well-being and – finally – having their place to live. Activities like the RHP inspire all of us to continue providing better living conditions for all people of this country, who, I believe, have a better and more prosperous future. I would also like to encourage all the local authorities to work together and ensure that the beneficiaries reap the full potential of their new homes through access jobs and social services.”

Bruce G. Berton, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated: “It is unfortunate that 20 years after the war, there are still beneficiaries, who have not received assistance and who continue to live in less than optimal conditions. We recognize that the path of the RHP has sometimes been difficult and long, but it is important that the RHP has always kept its final goal – addressing the housing needs of the most vulnerable population.”

Vassilis Petrides, RHP Programme Manager at the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) said that the Regional Housing Programme is a very complex process, including the selection of beneficiaries, selection of municipalities, execution of tenders and selection of contractors. It is being implemented in a transparent manner, in line with the rules and regulations. The credit for successful implementation belongs to the ministries at the state level, entity level and also to the municipalities involved”.

Sadeta Omerovic, beneficiary of an apartment in the RHP building in Zenica, concluded: “Many of us have lived as tenants for more than 20 years, some in collective centres. Finally, we found our own place, and for this reason, I would like to thank the donors, the City of Zenica, and all the people who contributed to the fact that our story has a happy ending.”

RHP info desk:  Secretariat of the Regional Housing Programme ceb-rhp@coebank.org