Demographic quakes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

By: Academic Esad Durakovic

I have written (critically) on several occasions about mass sale of BH most quality land, the land we walk on (literally), to the foreigners. When doing so, each time I emphasized, as I do now, that I write about that negative phenomenon from the standpoint of interests of BH citizens and not animosity towards the foreigners (namely the Arabs who are predominantly the buyers of vast real estate in BiH). My ultimate interest and priority is the interest of BiH and its citizens.

Following my writings, some circumstances have somewhat changed – again in a negative direction – so I would like to point out at them. It is remarkable how BH politicians (who are no more politicians than are predators!) do not consider all the seriousness of this phenomenon with long-term consequences for BiH. I'm not aware as to what judicial bodies may be undertaking in that regard, the police etc., other than what I do know that the Federal police has stated that there are a number of fictitious foreign companies through which Bosnian land is taken away, while the ultimate outcome is not known to the public.

The Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) recently published a serious and exact analysis of sale of Bosnian estate. I will cite a few details from that research which are of importance for my analysis. In the Sarajevo Canton only the Arabs have bought 15.3 million of m2 of land (total surface of 2150 football fields), the land is bought both in the Federation and BiH proper. Until the beginning of 2019, a total of 1,600 companies was registered as owned by Arabs, and most such companies (registered only for sake of purchase of land as there's no reciprocity law with those countries) have only one employee; 70% of those companies are founded on the minimum capital of 2,000 – 8,000 KM.

As many as 469 of those companies were not to be found on the registered addresses, while 158 company owners did not have residence permit for BiH sorted out. Voila, whole lotta work for federal police and others. For politicians in particular.

However, these worrisome and exact facts that point out at negative changes of the demographic (and ownership) structure take place in a new context which enhances that negative trend to a great extent and which ultimate result, or one of them, will be – to put it in Kolinda's language and reason – to accuse BiH, more precisely Federation, of Islamic radicalization as a crown argument for dissolution of BiH. The terrifying sale of the highest quality land (and not accidentally in and around the capital!) is followed by phenomena that should be considered SIMULTANEOUSLY:

1.  BiH has become a destination where masses of migrants from Asia and Africa are accumulating. While the EU stops them with extreme determination at their own borders, displaying the ultimate, even brutal hostility, they preach to BiH about the need for humane approach to the migrants, telling us where to accommodate them in our own country etc.

1. It is incredible indeed and hard to understand why the BiH authorities agree to the EU's arrogant and hypocritical attitude. BiH does not have the economic, legal, political or security capacities to absorb and manage such phenomenon. It is nonsense to ask if this is a security issue when there are hundreds or thousands rather, of foreigners who have entered our country illegally and move around it without any ID. Those are not people from the war infested countries, as many of our naive citizens like to think, by saying: Well, we were also the refugees once! There's no similarity between us in the nineties and these migrants from Pakistan, Iran, Morocco etc.  

(How come that the public order agencies do not remove those people from the streets and push them back into the camps around Sarajevo already given to them?! There's no traffic lights stop in Sarajevo where you can wait for green light in peace without their begging!)

1. At the same time, there are thousands of young people and families leaving BiH to the EU countries which take our folks instead of Asians and Africans. How can we explain such position of the EU? It is because they need work force, and Bosnians are Europeans, white, adaptable, hard-working, highly productive, in most cases educated. They are received with open arms while the Asians and Africans face the army, police, and barbwire. Bravo, a decent and humane Europe!

The CONCLUSION is rather obvious.

Millions of square meters of land in the Federation BiH are sold to the foreigners, mainly illegally. Tens of thousands of migrants are in parallel rushing into BiH, which the EU tends to retain here. Also in parallel, the best, most productive part of BH population is leaving the country at dramatic speed.

It all represents one accelerated process/project that is, literally, a death threat to BiH. However, the proportions should be also taken into consideration: BiH is too small a country vis a vis the numbers of migrants and the number of its emigrating population. Much bigger and 'more resistant' countries could not bear it. Why is it necessary to explain links and relations between the phenomena taking place in parallel on the same ground?!

That said, it needs to be emphasized – and is very important – that all the above mentioned negative processes are taking place in the country (BiH) in which particularly destructive forces are at work, considering that the country is still in a state of frozen-war. Which parliament, which political forum – has anybody discussed this problem?!

Unfortunately, they indeed cannot see farther than their own little shops, their current personal interest and one election cycle. The predation has stripped of them any possibility of visionary action.