Press Releases
Council of Ministers Holds Its 45th Session
04/14/2013
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
Amendments and Supplements to the Law, which the Ministry of Justice will provide to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH for consideration under urgent procedure, establish a nine-member Committee for ruling on conflict of interest cases.
The Committee is to be comprised of three members of the House of Representatives and House of People, each, in addition to Directors and Deputy Directors of the BIH Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of Combat against Corruption. Chairman and at least one third of Committee members will come from opposition parties.
A responsibility for identification of conflict of interest is being transferred from the Central Election Commission to the newly-established Committee, following the practice from the neighbouring countries.
Under the Supplements to the Law, the conflict of interest-related sanctions are a suspension of up to 50 per cent of net salary for two months, a proposal for a release from office and call for resignation.
The Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Conflict of Interest in BIH Institutions is a part of the set of legislation agreed by the SDPBIH and SNSD, endorsed also by other ruling coalition members.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for negotiations on International Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia on Euro-Atlantic partnership, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide to the Presidency of BIH , while Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdžija is proposed as the BIH signatory.
This Agreement will define concrete forms of cooperation in the area of European integrations, including assistance by the Republic of Croatia to BIH in terms of specific knowledge, experiences and expertise form the EU negotiating process.
The two countries will be preparing infrastructural cross-border cooperation projects which may be applied for support form EU Funds.
A joint Committee comprised of representatives of BIH and the Republic of Croatia will be set-up to implement the Agreement.
In line with the Agreement, the Republic of Croatia is interested to set-up Euro-Atlantic Centre with its seat in Mostar, which would be active possibly in several branches throughout BIH.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to from a Work Group for preparation of a Study “Extinguishing Forest Fires in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
The Work Group will develop the Study within 60 days to develop proposals and measures for a more effective protection and rescue action-taking in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Coordinator of the 15-member Work Group is Samir Agić from the Ministry of Security.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took the following separate decisions on: criteria for “Co-financing of Cultural Institutions Projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013”; for co-financing of project in the area of “International Cultural Cooperation” for 2013; for co-financing of projects in the area of “Technical Culture and Innovation Support”; and allocation of grant funds from “Programmes for Project Development and Prospective Candidate Projects for EU FP7 Fund” for 2013.
Under the decision on criteria for “Co-Financing of Cultural Institutions Projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013”, KM 2,220,000.00 were allocated for distribution for cultural projects co-financing purposes through public bid, pursuant to the criteria defined under the decision.
Projects under “The International Cultural Cooperation” for 2013 got KM 480,000.00, and projects of total value between KM 2,000.00 and KM 50,000.00 may apply, with a clear indication of the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ required portion.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs will, through a public bid, provide from its budget KM 130,000.00 for co-financing of technical culture and innovation projects, pursuant to the decision for co-financing of “Technical Culture and Innovation Support” projects.
Total KM 500,000.00 was provided for the grant “Programmes for Project Development and Prospective Candidate Projects for EU FP7 Fund” for 2013, out of which KM 450,000.00 was intended for projects applied through public bid, and KM 50,000.00 was approved to the Ministry of Civil Affairs for the preparation for participation in a new EU Science and Research Programme and for BIH representatives’ participation in the EU bodies for science and research.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report on Security Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012, which indicates a decreased level of total criminal acts at BIH level for 1.68 per cent in relation to 2011 level.
The Ministry of Security’s Report reads that the number of entry and departure of persons from high migration risk countries is increased for 39.19 per cent in relation to the year before, and that the number of cross-border criminal acts dropped for 14.5 per cent.
The number of drugs-related criminal acts is in an increase for 10.3 per cent compared with the year befoer, and 2012 registered 20 human trafficking-related criminal acts, which is an increase for 25 per cent, compared with the year before.
In the area of general crime, a 3.4 per cent decrease of the number of committed criminal acts was registered, while still the most numerous criminal acts are those against property, even though their number fell for 6.25 per cent.
With an increase of cases of motor cars stealing for 14.19 per cent, 2012 also saw an increase of criminal acts of provoking general danger for 12.85, relative to year 2011.
Cases of breach of public order and peace were decreased for 7.69 per cent last year, in addition to a considerable drop of the so-called crimes of hatred, i.e. ethnic and religious intolerance towards people and facilities for 66.6 per cent compared with the previous year.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Migration Profile of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2012, by which Bosnia and Herzegovina fulfilled is regular obligation of a regular up-dating of the Migration Profile, stemming from the visa regime liberalisation process.
The 2012 Migration Profile of BIH will provide to the Council of Ministers of BIH an insight into key migration trends, while the Ministry of Security will be enabled to develop high quality policies and high quality regulations.
The Migration Profile reports that the Border Police refused 2,998 entries to BIH, and the number of detected illegal crossings of the state border was 389.
Foreigners were granted 8,838 temporary stay permits and 401 permanent stay permits, while the number of cancelled non-visa or temporary stay in 2012 was 947, which is an increase for 160per cent, relative to 2011.
Total 562 decisions of expelling were issued in 2012, which represents an increase for 82 per cent in comparison of the year before, and 453 foreigners were put into custody, or 108 per cent more than in 2011, while 14 foreigners were forcibly moved away, and the year before there were eight such persons.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Annual Report of the Ministry for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on revitalisation of foreign trade of arms, military equipment, and products for dual and special purpose in 2011, and Report on issued clearances for foreign trade of arms, military equipment and products for dual and special purpose in 2012.
The total value of foreign trade, according to the issued clearances for export, import and temporary import and export of arms, military equipment, and products for dual and special purpose, and based on pro-forma accompanying clearance applications in 2011, was EUR 119,664,045.00, and in 2012 it was EUR 136,857,188.00.
A total number of issued clearances for export, import and temporary import and export of arms, military equipment, and products for dual and special purpose was 698 in 2011, and 706 in 2012.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations will provide the reports to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the Directorate for European Integrations on holding of the fifth meeting of Provisional Sub-Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs and Statistics, scheduled for April 19, 2013 in Brussels.
The Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent to the proposed agenda and BIH delegation members and adopted a Discussion Paper for the fifth meeting of Provisional Sub-Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs and Statistics, which institutions’ representatives are due to adhere to in their presentations.
The meeting of representatives of the BIH Institutions’ and European Commission will discuss BIH’s economic and financial plans, monetary issues, and advancement towards a functional market economy, public internal financial control, external audit and statistics. (end)