The Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports today hosted its annual press conference.
At the very beginning, Minister Sanja Vlaisavljević expressed gratitude to all media representatives for their fair, accurate, and timely reporting on the Ministry’s activities.
The conference presented the Ministry’s activities and achievements in 2025, with particular emphasis on the allocation of budgetary funds for culture, sports, youth, and heritage protection.
Data were shared on last year’s budget, which amounted to BAM 79.799 million, thereof as much as BAM 60 million was directed toward capital projects in cities and municipalities across the Federation of BiH. These investments aimed to strengthen cultural and sports infrastructure and to restore cultural monuments and sacred sites.
In terms of transfers, it was highlighted that since last year the Ministry has ensured access to funding for marginalized groups—associations of persons with developmental difficulties, Paralympians, and clubs for persons with disabilities—thus enabling them to become active participants in relevant initiatives rather than mere observers.
Among significant innovations in the field of sports was the signing of an Agreement with the Special Olympics in BiH, the first of its kind in the country, as well as the introduction of a special strategy to reward athletes in non-Olympic disciplines who are not covered by the Government’s regulation on awards for top international results.
“I am always happy when we run short of funds for rewarding athletes, because that means far more medals have come to our BiH than we had anticipated in the budget,” stated Minister Vlaisavljević.
Furthermore, for the first time, an Agreement was signed with the umbrella cultural societies in BiH, ensuring their permanent presence in the community.
During the past year, the Government of the Federation of BiH adopted the Youth Strategy, and the Youth Council was established.
Transparency in the Ministry’s work was emphasized, including the regular publication of all activities and acts on the Ministry’s website, as well as timely responses to media inquiries and questions from other stakeholders.
With particular pride, it was noted that the Ministry itself organized more than 40 different events last year, made possible by the excellent teamwork of all employees.
Podcasts were introduced to promote, above all, young successful individuals in the fields of culture and sports, which attracted great public interest.
The Ministry also responded in a timely manner to 21 delegate questions, 4 delegate initiatives, and 20 requests under the Freedom of Information Act. At Government sessions, 65 materials from the Ministry were adopted.
The Ministry oversees foundations in the fields of culture and sports, whose number increased to four last year, with the newly established Sports Foundation beginning to operate at full capacity.
It was particularly noted that, for the first time since its establishment, the Ministry received a positive audit report.
Finally, data were presented on the 2026 budget, amounting to BAM 66.410 million, with BAM 47 million earmarked for capital investments. Transfers for culture and sports were significantly increased, with the youth transfer reaching its full capacity at 1 million BAM.
In response to a journalist’s question regarding the Film Foundation, Minister Vlaisavljević stressed that its accounts have never been blocked, that all funds are available, and that allocations have increased year by year, with BAM 3.5 million planned for 2026.
The conference concluded with the message that the Ministry will continue to build bridges between culture, sports, and youth, ensuring that every project serves the community and future generations.
