11:47 - Emir Dautović (NES) congratulated the anniversary of the formation of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the qualification for the World Championship, while another delegate added that it would be good to shorten the duration of the session so they could attend the ceremonies marking the anniversary of the formation of the Army of the RBiH.
11:40 - The Club of Croats in the House of Peoples of the FBiH confirmed that they will support today's Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Southern Interconnection.
11:38 - Delegate of the Party for BiH, Enes Peštek, reminded that this party is the only one, besides Martin Raguž, that did not vote for this Draft Law in the House of Representatives of the FBiH.
He explained the stance of SBiH that the law is contrary to the provisions of the Dayton Agreement and that it represents a legal precedent due to the direct introduction of an investor into the law. He particularly highlights the issue of cost-effectiveness.
"It is illogical to adopt a law when a feasibility study has not been simultaneously conducted. Now we are entering an investment that would mean the construction of a gas pipeline, and for the entire investment, there is not a single document proving its cost-effectiveness or what price of gas the economy and population in BiH would pay," said Peštek.
He particularly emphasizes the question, "Why is AAFS building a gas pipeline from Kladanj to Tuzla when it is not about the Southern Interconnection, and why is it not entrusted to the domestic company BH Gas?" Accordingly, Peštek fears that there is an ongoing collapse of the energy sector and the introduction of two private companies instead of two state-owned ones.
11:30 - The proposer referred to BH Gas, the domestic public company, which has been removed from the law on the Southern Interconnection by the new proposal, given that the American company AAFS will have jurisdiction over this gas pipeline.
"BH Gas continues its activities because the law stipulates that BH Gas remains the manager of the existing gas pipeline," it was stated.
It is emphasized that the same investor, AAFS, has expressed readiness to build gas power plants in BiH, but that is not the subject of the law.
11:27 - The proposer of the law, the Ministry of Energy of the FBiH, once again explains the reasons for adopting the amendments to the law on the Southern Interconnection before the start of the debate.
It was highlighted that in the upcoming period, it will be necessary to adopt both entity and state laws on gas.
"On this occasion, I invite you to consider this as the beginning of the process and help us adopt these other laws before the completion of the gas pipeline construction," said the proposer.
11:20 - The agenda was adopted, and it was also accepted that the Draft Law on the Southern Interconnection be discussed under urgent procedure.
11:15 - The session of the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina has begun. At the start of the session, the anthem of BiH is usually intoned.
The amendments to the law on the Southern Interconnection were previously adopted in the House of Representatives of the FBiH, and if they are also adopted in the House of Peoples, they will enter into force upon publication in the Official Gazette of the FBiH.
After that, the next step should be the signing of an interstate agreement between BiH and Croatia, which is already scheduled for the end of April.
The biggest change in the amended text of the Law on the Southern Interconnection is the investor, as it was previously BH Gas, and now the American company AAFS is specified. The route of the Southern Interconnection remains the same, and the newly adopted amendments also provide for branches towards Grude, Gornji Vakuf, Donji Vakuf, and Čapljina, as well as a new direction from Kladanj towards Tuzla.