ČORDAŠ: CEB 2 PROJECT, ABOUT BAM 60 MILLION WORTH, WILL SOON BE COMPLETED

BANJA LUKA, SEPTEMBER 18 /SRNA/ - The CEB 2 project, valued at approximately BAM 60 million, will soon be completed with the relocation of social housing users to a building with 37 apartments in Zvornik, Republika Srpska, said Davor Čordaš, the Director of the Republic Displaced Persons and Migration Secretariat.

"The CEB 2 project is one of the better ones we have worked on, as it introduced the category of social housing, which did not exist before, while the ownership and management rights over these buildings are transferred to the local community. We are waiting for the technical conditions to be fulfilled and for the occupancy permit to be issued, after which people will move in," Čordaš said. He noted that he supports the option of allowing the purchase of social housing apartments, but added that full agreement has not yet been reached on this, as is the case in some European countries. According to him, under this project, 573 housing units have been built in Republika Srpska, along with 130 accommodation capacities in social-geriatric institutions in Derventa and Trebinje. He explained that the Republika Srpska Government contributed BAM 40 million to the project, while local communities provided land, utilities, and building permits worth approximately BAM 20 million. Čordaš clarified that it is better to build an apartment for people who have been tenants for 20 or 30 years, or those living in poor conditions, rather than renovate a house in the FBiH where they may not return. "We had cases where a house was renovated for an applicant in FBiH who then died, whose children may only visit as tourists or not visit at all," Čordaš said. Čordaš also reported that around 600 families in Republika Srpska still need housing solutions because they have decided to integrate into the places where they currently live and wish to stay. "The Republika Srpska Government is aware of this issue, therefore an initiative for the continuation of the CEB project, through CEB 3, has been sent. This project would solve the housing issues for the remaining families, in line with the Social Housing Law," Čordaš emphasized. He stated that the Regional Housing Programme has been formally and legally completed, under which 399 collective housing units and around 800 houses were built in Republika Srpska, while about 2,000 housing units were built across BiH. Čordaš concluded that the Displaced Persons and Migration Secretariat has shown significant results in its current work, having built 47 residential buildings with around 1,100 apartments in Republika Srpska, as well as around 3,000 houses throughout BiH.