Brčko District

Brčko District Brčko Distrikt Брчко дистрикт
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Brčko in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Coordinates: 44°52′0″N 18°47′0″E / 44.866667°N 18.783333°E / 44.866667; 18.783333Coordinates: 44°52′0″N 18°47′0″E / 44.866667°N 18.783333°E / 44.866667; 18.783333
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Established by Final Arbitration Decision	March 5, 1999
Government
– Mayor	Miroslav Gavrić (SNSD)[1]
– President of the District Assembly	Mirsad Đapo
– International Supervisor	Roderick W. Moore
Area
– Total	493 km2 (173 sq mi)
Population (1991)
– Total	87,332
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
– Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	76100
Area code(s)	(+387) 49
Website	Official Web Site, Official District Assembly Website Official District Prosecutor Web Site Moje, tvoje, naše Brčko

Brčko District (pronounced [br̩̂t͡ʃkɔː]; Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: Brčko distrikt Serbian Cyrillic: Брчко дистрикт) in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a neutral, self-governing administrative unit, under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is formally part of both BiH entities, the Republika Srpska, and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

History

Brčko District was established after an arbitration process undertaken by the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to Dayton Peace Accords however, the process could only arbitrate the disputed portion of the Inter-Entity Boundary Line (IEBL).^[2] The Brčko District was formed of the entire territory of the former Brčko municipality, of which 48% (including Brčko city) was in the Republika Srpska, while 52% was in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the war, the EU has maintained a diplomatic peace-keeping presence in the area.

In 2006 under the Supervisory Order all "Entity legislation in Brčko District and the IEBL" were abolished. The ruling made by the Brčko Supervisor Susan Johnson abolishes all Entity Laws in the District also abolishes the Entity Border Line. The ruling makes the Laws of the District and the Laws of the State of Bosnia and Herzegovina (including the laws of the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina) paramount within the District.^[3]

Brčko was the only element in the Dayton Peace Agreement which was not finalized. The arbitration agreement was finalized in March 1999 resulting in a "district" as mentioned above which was to be administrated by international representation with ambassador status.

The first Ambassador representing the District of Brčko arrived in April 1997. Prior to that time, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had a modest office headed by Randolph Hampton. During the interim time before the District of Brčko could be represented post arbitration agreement, local elections were held, humanitarian relief was provided with cooperation from USAID and ECHO. The District became known as a center for different state building programs run by foreign governments, particularly the United States. For a history of Brčko District since the end of the Bosnian war in 1995, see Matthew Parish, A Free City in the Balkans: Reconstructing a Divided Society in Bosnia (I.B.Tauris 2009).

Population

1971 census

According to 1971 census Municipality of Brčko had 74,771 inhabitants, including:

• Muslims - 30,181 (40.36%)
• Croats - 24,925 (33.33%)
• Serbs - 17,709 (23.68%)
• Yugoslavs - 1,086 (1.45%)
• others - 870 (1.18%)

1981 census

According to 1981 census Municipality of Brčko had 82,768 inhabitants, including:

• Muslims - 32,434 (39.19%)
• Croats - 23,975 (28.97%)
• Serbs - 16,707 (20.18%)
• Yugoslavs - 8,342 (10.08%)
• others - 1,310 (1.58%)

1991 census

According to 1991 census Municipality of Brčko had 87,627 inhabitants, including:

• Muslims - 38,617 (44,07%)
• Croats - 22,252 (25.39%)
• Serbs - 18,128 (20.69%)
• Yugoslavs - 5,731 (6.54%)
• others - 2,899 (3.31%)

Since 1991, there has been no official census conducted.

• 

  Ethnic structure of Brcko by settlements 1961.

• 

  Ethnic structure of Brcko by settlements 1971.

• 

  Ethnic structure of Brcko by settlements 1981.

• 

  Ethnic structure of Brcko by settlements 1991.

• 

  Ethnic structure of Brcko by settlements 2001.

Government and politics

There are 29 seats in the Assembly of the Brčko District. The seats are divided as follows:^[4]

By party:

• 6 Serbian Democratic Party
• 5 Social Democratic Party
• 4 Party of Democratic Action
• 3 Croatian Democratic Union
• 3 Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina
• 2 Alliance of Independent Social Democrats
• 2 Croatian Peasant Party
• 2 Socialist Party of the Republika Srpska
• 1 Democratic Party
• 1 Independent

By ethnicity:

• 13 Bosniaks
• 11 Serbs
• 5 Croats

By gender:

• 27 men
• 2 women

See also

• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Subdivisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Republika Srpska
• Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

1. ^ Oficijelna web stranica Brčko Distrikta
2. ^ Dayton Agreement, Annex 2, Article V
3. ^ Supervisory Order Abolishes Entity Legislation, Ends Legal Significance of IEBL in Brčko District
4. ^ GRAFIČKI PRIKAZ SALE SKUPŠTINE BRČKO DISTRIKTA BIH

External links

• Brčko District City portal
• Government of the Brčko District
• Assembly of the Brčko District
• History and Mandate of the OHR North/Brčko
• Brčko district map