Council of Ministers Holds its 43rd Session

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Deposit Insurance in Banks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to adjust the Law with EU standards and fulfil an obligation of BIH from the Letter of Intent, signed with the International Monetary Fund. 

The Amendments Law, which the Ministry of Finance and Treasury is to provide to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH under an urgent procedure, introduces the deposit insurance of legal persons and defines continued participation in the deposit insurance programme of member banks in which a provisional administration in was introduced (the previous solution prescribed a termination of the membership for such banks).

The novelty is also a delete of possibility for bank and bank associations’ representatives to participate in the Steering Board of the Deposit Insurance Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an introduction of associate premiums for rehabilitation of the Fund for Deposit Insurance and payment of secured deposits.

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined by a majority vote a Proposal Law on Witness Protection Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina to ensure an effective witness protection and free and frank testimony in criminal procedures before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the Proposal Law, the witness protection programme might be applied in the presentation of evidence of criminal acts against the integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, against humanity and values protected under the international law, terrorism, organised crime and for acts for which the Law of BIH prescribes five year prison sentence or stricter sentence.

A decision on application, termination, extension and end of the witness protection programme takes a Commission for Programme Application, comprised of a judge from the Court of BIH, prosecutor from the Prosecutor’s Office of BIH and Head of Witness Protection Division.

The witness protection programme organisation and implementation, including the implementation of urgent protection measures of persons and property, relocation, cover-up of identity and ownership and changed identity data is the task of the specialised Witness Protection Division within the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA).

Protection measures for witnesses and their close ones are physical and technical protection of a person and property, relocation, cove-up identity and ownership and changed identity data.

The Ministry of Security will provide the Proposal Law to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2013-2015, and Action Plan for Strategy implementation in order to develop an effective anti-human trafficking system.

The Strategy is based on enhancement of the support system and criminal prosecution of criminals engaged in human trafficking, improvement of human trafficking victims protection system, continuous preventive activities and strengthening of partnerships of all government and non-government and international agencies and institutions dealing with anti-human trafficking issue

The Strategic goals are defined by systematically guided activities, symbolically set-up in the Strategy as “5P” (Prop, Prevention, Processing Proactive Protection and Partnership).

The Action Plan includes a package of about 150 preventive and repressive measures which timely implementation is purposed to reduce the number of human trafficking victims and advance human rights protection.

In the period from 2006 to 2011, BIH registered 240 perpetrators of human trafficking related criminal acts, while 239 victims of human trafficking were traced.

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Protocol on Cross-Border Surveillance between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of Montenegro, which the Ministry of Security will provide to the presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Minister of Security Fahrudin Radončić is proposed as the BIH signatory.

The conclusion of the Protocol between the two states will strengthen the cooperation in combating threats against public security, especially in prevention and suppression of criminal acts. Bodies competent for the implementation of the protocol are the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ministry of Interior of Montenegro – Police Administration of Montenegro.

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal basics for negotiations for conclusion of a Memorandum on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia, which the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic relations will forward to the Presidency of BIH, while Minister Mirko Šarovć is proposed as the BIH signatory of the Memorandum.

The conclusion of the Memorandum will improve and enhance mutual cooperation within the EU accession process, specifically the harmonisation of legislation with the EU acquis and utilisation of EU Funds for rural development.

Upon a proposal of the Agency for Statistics of BIH, The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision to adopt a statistical programme of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2013-2016, focused at the up-coming Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in BIH in 20113, and the preparation and implementation of the Census of Agriculture in BIH.

The Census of Agriculture will be conducted following the Census of Population, using the list of households which meet criteria of a family agricultural homestead. The census will follow aft adoption of a single methodology for the census of agriculture in BIH. These statistical operations will be implemented by the Agency for Statistics of BIH along with Entity statistical institutes and other competent institutions engaged in statistical operations.

The Council of Ministers of BIH received a report of the Ministry of Human Rights and refugees on the state of emigration from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to Information, the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees will promote with other institutions a link between emigration and development and will propose a support to all interested institutions in their contacts with diaspora and efforts to make connection between the diaspora and development in BIH.

The World Bank data suggest that our country is the second county in Europe (after Albania) by the volume of emigration respective of the total number of population, with 1,471,584 emigrants, or 38.9% of total population of BIH.

In addition, the emigration rate of highly educated people is 23.9% (physicians 11.1%) ranks BIH among the leading countries in Europe.

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the Directorate for European Integrations on preparations for use of a new EU Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance for 2014-2020 (IPA II).

The relevant Ministries in BIH will coordinate with other administrative levels to define in due course their priorities for the use of IPA II, especially focusing at the sectors that include investments.

The Directorate for European Integrations will cooperate with the Delegation of European Union to draw a plan of formal consultations for the preparation of an IPA Strategic Document for BIH, while competent Ministries and other BIH Institutions will ensure resources for their participation in the preparation for the IPA Strategic Document for BIH.

A new Directive on establishment of the IPA III annuls the previous division into five components, and instead introduces policy areas within which various interventions will be implemented aimed to assist beneficiary countries in implementation of reforms needed for the accession purpose and eventually for the EU membership. Special aims were defined under the Copenhagen Criteria and are based on needs of every individual country according to its respective accession agenda.

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the Directorate for European Integrations on participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU programmes for January 2011 – December 2012.

Competent Ministries will, subject to the EU programmes accession dynamics, provide for human resources and required finances (from budget and available IPA funds) for BIH participation in these programmes from their respective competences and will undertake measures and activities to inform potential beneficiaries on possibilities opened by BIH’s joining certain programmes.

Ministries component for individual EU programmes are tasked to cooperate with the Directorate of European Integrations to plan, within the new IPA II for 2014-2020, funds required for the continuation of participation in the programmes joined by BIH and in new ones subject to international obligations stemming from signed and ratified Memorandums with the EU.

The Directorate for European Integrations and Ministries competent for individual EU programmes will, following the dynamics of participation and accession to the EU programmes, carry our necessary preparatory activities for BIH participation in the new round of EU programmes for 2014-2020.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is now a member in three European Union programmes: Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), Programme Culture 2007-2013 and Programme Europe for Citizens. Besides, Bosnia and Herzegovina is active in two international cooperation programmes in the area of high education: Tempus and Erasmus Mundus, and with a prospect of participation in some other activities within the programme Youth in Action and Lifetime Learning, although it is not a member in these programmes.

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH granted a consent for vote to citizens of the Republic of Croatia in Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 13 and 14, 2013, for election of delegates of the Republic of Croatia in the European Parliament.

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH appointed Minister of Security Fahrudin Radončić for Alternate Governor on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (end)