Council of Ministers Holds Its 63rd Session

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the State Commission for Border of BIH on demarcation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and accepted a proposal for a part of non-agreed border line between towns of Foča and Pljevlje to accept the natural border – a brook, which divides the area at approximately two equal parts. Its northern part is to belong to Montenegro and southern part is to belong to Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The State Commission for Borders of BIH is tasked to finalise its activities on identification and description of the border with Montenegro.

By defining this 700 m long border line between Foča and Pjevlja, the Council of Ministers of BIH closed the last outstanding issue concerning the demarcation of border between the two states.

 

The Council of Ministers adopted and will send to the BIH Presidency and Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH a Report of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury on the Budget Execution of the BIH Institutions and BIH International Liabilities for the first six months of 2013.

Total revenues and receivables for January-June this year were KM 483,158,981.00, while total realised expenditures amounted to KM 416,220,426.00. Expenditures for salaries and emoluments of employees in the BIH Institutions remained at the same level as in 2012, which is the result of the Council of Ministers decisions on a decrease of salaries, food and vacation allowances and per diems. All due obligations based on foreign debt servicing in amount of KM 314.58 million were paid, out of which principal payments amounted to KM 269.03 million, and interest and service charges amounted to KM 45.55 million.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Finance Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for Rural Business Development Project to benefit about 20 thousand rural households in 47 municipalities in BIH.

The Project is aimed to support farmers in 27 municipalities in the Federation of BIH and in 20 municipalities in Republika Srpska to increase their productivity and employment rate, including the improvement of competitiveness for access to new markets and new business opportunities.

The allocation of the loan, worth USD 12,720,000.00, is 60% to the Federation of BIH and 30 % to Republika Srpska, which is the same way in which a US$ 780,000.00 grant will be allocated. The loan repayment term is 20 years with 10 year grace period and 0.75% fixed service charges.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Agreement with basics for its conclusion to the BIH Presidency, and Minister Nikola Špirić is proposed as the BIH signatory.

 

The Council of Ministers defined a Proposal Agreement on Financial Cooperation – Exchange of Notes - between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Federal Republic of Germany for “Podveležje Windmill Park” Project, worth EUR 65 million to be disbursed by the KfW.

Under the Project implementation, new jobs will be created during and after the construction of the windmill park, which is expected to boost BIH economic growth, while the produced clean energy within the BIH power network will contribute to the global climate protection and dioxide emission prevention.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BIH will provide the Proposal Agreement with basics for its conclusion to the BIH Presidency.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision on exemption from visa charges for participants of the 53^rd International Theatre Festival  - MESS 2013, to be held in Sarajevo on September 28 - October 10, 2013.

 

The Council of Ministers took note of and will send to the BIH Presidency a Report of the Ministry of Defence on Annual Training and Exercises Plan for Members of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be held abroad during year 2014.

Members of the BIH Armed Forces will take part in exercises and conferences within the Partnership Cooperation Programme, Individual Partner Action Plan, Adriatic-Ionian Charter Initiative, Conference of Balkan Countries Chiefs of Staff, including “Army in Army” programme as a part of the State Cooperation Programme with the Federal State of Maryland, USA.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BIH, the Council of Ministers of BIH endorsed an Initiative of the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives, requiring the competent BIH authorities to make amendments and supplements to the existing legal regulations so as to harmonise the levels of charges for documents required to acquire citizenship.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs, which is competent for the issues of citizenship, will forward the Initiative to competent authorities throughout BIH, along with a recommendation to harmonise their legal regulations pertaining this this area.

Simultaneously, the Ministry of Civil Affairs will coordinate required activities with the competent authorities in order to harmonise the levels of related charges.

The difference citizens pay for obtaining identical documents at different levels of authorities of BIH ranges between KM 10 and KM 110, so the Council of Ministers of BIH aspires to harmonise this area according to standards of its neighbouring countries and the European Union.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the Directorate for European Integrations on a proposal package of grant applications within the tenth invitation for submission of projects within the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF), and the proposal consists of five projects worth over EUR 5 million, in addition to two more projects both worth EUR 2.8 million, after their final definition.

The Directorate for European Integrations will provide the agreed to package of grant applications to the WBIF Secretariat, by September 19, 2013.

Among the projects, two pertain to flood risk management in the Federation of BIH and Republika Srpska.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report on the implementation status of IA/SAA for January 1 - June 30, 2013, with accompanying information on its development, which will be provided to the European Commission by the Directorate for European Integrations.

Out of 16 defined measures, eight were fully implemented, two are in the process of implementation, and six were not implemented.

 

The Council of Ministers received Information of the Directorate for European Integrations on the results of the Western Balkans Investment Framework 9^th invitation for submission of projects, which says that the WBIF Steering Board adopted five projects worth EUR 5 million.

The following projects were adopted: “Babino Selo” Hydropower Plant; “Vinac” Hydropower Plant; District Heating in Pale; Water Supply and Sewage in the FBIH; and Regional Project of Study Development for Protected Zones of “Kokot” (Bihać) Water Source, located at the BIH-Croatia interstate border.

The WBIF Steering Board meeting of June 13, 2013, adopted an additional regional project “Sector Study on Heating on Biomass in Western Balkans” worth EUR 750,000.00, with a possibility for BIH to take part in it.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Justice, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to appoint a Steering Board of the Institute for Criminal Sentences Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is still under construction, to include Emir Mehemdović, as President of the Board, and Željko Bogut (BIH Ministry of Justice); Ranko Šakota (BIH Ministry of Finance and Treasury), and Pero Dunjić and Sead Ćišić (Entity Justice Ministries) as the Board members.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BIH, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to appoint members of a Committee for Coordination of the Youth Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a three-year term, to include Adnan Husić and Dalibor Pejović from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and Adis Salkić and Branka Malešević from the Entity sector Ministries.

The appointed Committee members will define criteria and issue a public invitation for the selection of five representatives of youth NGOs into the Committee, who are to be appointed by the Council of Ministers of BIH.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Council of Ministers of BIH appointed Igor Kuljača, Nermin Šehović, Mustafa Alta, Drago Knežević, and Ibrahim Čehaja as members of a Work Group for determination and compilation of all documents on legally seized motor vehicles of the Indirect Taxation Administration.

In line with an earlier conclusion of the Council of Ministers of BIH, the Work Group will, within 45 days, define the actual status of the vehicles, make their categorisation in terms of identification of data, and existence and maintenance of accompanying documentation, subject to legally defined registers, in addition to degrees of eventual devastation, illegal treatment, and will report accordingly to the Ministry of Communications and Transport for a further procedure.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH confirmed an Opinion of the Ministry of Justice on a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Free Access to information in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the initiators of which are Lazar Prodanović, Nermina Zaimović-Uzunović and Azra Hadžiahmetović, representatives in the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives.

The Council deems justifiable a need for further regulation of the freedom of access to information and removal of spotted deficiencies in the implementation of the existing Law, while taking care of the importance of free access to information for the development of a democratic society.

The Ministry of Justice will provide the Opinion to the BH Parliamentarian Assembly.

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