• the creation of a professional, apolitical civil service;
• the adoption, as soon as possible, of further laws necessary for the establishment and functioning of existing and other necessary institutions.

12. 3 Self-sustaining economy: It is now essential to tackle, as a matter of urgency, the task of transforming Bosnia and Herzegovina's economy in 1999 to make it capable of surviving and prospering with reduced foreign aid. We agree a package of measures  to:

• pursue stability-oriented macro-economic policies under the present stand-by  agreement with the IMF;  
• accelerate the establishment of a market economy; develop Bosnia and Herzegovina economy as one single economic space based on EU standards;
• install the legal and regulatory infrastructure necessary for a newly emerging, free market society;
• privatise, in a transparent and apolitical manner, state-owned industries, banks,  as well as small businesses and public utilities;
• reform payments systems;
• establish properly functioning capital markets and banking institutions;
• fight against corruption, fraud and fiscal evasion;
• create adequate and sustainable conditions for the development of small and medium enterprises and stimulate foreign and domestic investments in the country.

12. 4 Democratisation: Democracy is taking root in Bosnia and Herzegovina; but it  needs to be reinforced at every level. We pledge to work together to achieve this - to give citizens real control over their own lives, with decisions that affect them taken as close to the citizen as possible. We pledge to work to create a culture of open debate in which different views and traditions are respected, from the education system to the parliament chamber. We aim to do this by:

• working with the people of BiH and their representatives to develop a new electoral law which will promote a democratic and multi-ethnic political process and make the elected officials accountable to the voter;
• increasing transparency in relations between Entities and their administrative units, including a clear delineation of their respective responsibilities;
• furthering media reform, to promote a free exchange of ideas and opinion, including by the establishment of a joint inter-Entity Annex 9 Public Broadcasting Corporation across the country which will respect the cultural identities of the constituent peoples and others;
• placing a major emphasis on education at all levels, to ensure that the children of Bosnia and Herzegovina are given the best chance of a brighter future;

<4>