Council of Ministers of BIH Holds Its 165th Session

DRAFT BUDGET DEFINED 

The Council of Ministers of BIH unanimously defined a Draft Law on Budget of Institutions Bosnia and Herzegovina and International Obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina for year 2019, which Draft will be provided to the presidency of BIH by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, responsible for proposing thereof.

The total revenues, receivables and financing of BIH Institutions in 2019 will be KM 966,000,000, more than KM 16 million than in previous year, while the foreign debt servicing will amount to KM 25,760,678 and is less for KM 178,301,651 in relation to the year ago. In the revenues structure the prevailing are transfers form the Singe Treasury Account, in amount identical as in the last year, namely KM 750,000,000.

The Budget increase for KM 16 million secures finances for salaries increase to policemen, in accordance with earlier decisions of the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly.

Civil servants and employees in the BIH Institutions will get turned their cash benefits for worktime meal to the 2012 level, when from KM eight it dropped to KM six, thereby accommodating a request by the Union. The exemption are elected and designated persons at the BIH level, whose worktime meal benefit remains KM six.

Total expenditures of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and foreign bet servicing of BIH in the Draft Budget are KM 1,791,760,678, and are less for eight per cent or KM 162,301,651in relation to year 2018.

 

ANTI-MINE ACTION STRATEGY UNTIL 2015 ADOPTED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted the Ministry of Civil Affairs-proposed 2018-2015 Anti-Mine Action Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a Financial Plan for its implementation.

The Strategy adoption will enable development of an effective state programme of anti-mine action to the end of reduction and total elimination of threats from mines to citizens of BIH.

It contains five strategic aims targeted to setting-up a comprehensive and effective anti-mine action system in Bosnia and Hercegovina. It relays on three key principles: accountability, continuous improvement and transparency, and two of five preconditions for tis implementation are out-sourced financing at the same level or increased and domestic funding.

The accompanying financial plan indicates at a need of KM 336 million for the implementation of the Anti-Mien Action Strategy in BIH till 2015.

 

2019-2021 ECONOMIC REFORMS PROGRAMME ADOPTED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted, upon a proposal of the Directorate for Economic planning an Economic Reforms Programme (ERP) for 2019-2021, consisting of five thematic units, including priority structural reforms, acro-economic and fiscal framework.

The reforms will be directed to the improvement of strategic and legislative framework in accordance with a contract on energy community, creation of sustainable railway infrastructure financing system, improvement of agricultural production, strengthening of BIH quality infrastructure following the EU model. The ERP provides for a further advancement of ITC society, with harmonisation of regulatory framework with the EU standards, intensification of cooperation in education and incr4ase of the labour market effectiveness, establishment of an effective spending system in health and improvement of social welfare system.

The Economic Reforms Programme will be sent to the European Commission.

 

BIH AND SLOVENIA ADVANCED COOPERATION IN SPORTS               

 

The Council of Ministers defined a Proposal Platform for negotiations on Memorandum of Understanding in the area of sports between the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia.

The Memorandum will enable improvement of cooperation in the area, based on equality and mutual benefit, as well as further development of cooperation between institutions of the two states responsible for sports.

The Memorandum, among other things, incites cooperation between national sports associations/federations in relation to top sportsmen by way taking part in joint trainings, participation at tournaments and traditional sports events, as well as exchange of related sport disciplines and relevant staff (couches, managers, agents, and medical staff).

The Minister of Civil Affairs of BIH was authorised to sign the memorandum on the part of BIH.

 

 

HARMONISATION OF REGULATION WITH EU DIRECTIVE

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Regulation on Amendment of Regulation on raw Milk and Starter Cultures, for the aim at harmonisation thereof with the European Union Directives. The Amendments and Supplements to the Regulation will enable an equal market treatment to domestic produces.

This is about harmonisation of national regulations with the EU Directive form 2013, which provides for consumer milk has the freezing point approximately equal to the average freezing point of raw milk noted in the area of origin. “The average freezing point of raw milk” is set at the national level of member-countries and represents a national provision.

 

SUPPORT TO ACCESSION TO CONTRACT FOR RESEARCH OF UNIVERSE

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Platform for Accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to a Treaty on Principles Governing Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including Moon and Other Celestial Bodies.

Accepting the Treaty, Bosnia and Herzegovina shows its readiness for cooperation with other signatory-countries. At the same time, it will create conditions for young scientists from BIH, who, with the help of scholarship, would take part at UN-organised relevant symposia.

The ratification of the Treaty is prerequisite for BIH to apply for membership in the UN Committee on the peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPOUS).

The Ministry of Communication and Transport will provide the Proposal Platform to the BIH Presidency for further approval procedure.

 

ADVANCEMENT OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA SECTOR

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision on use of accumulated revenues surplus of the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina by Dec. 31, 2017 in amount of KM 16,545,171.00.

The amount of KM 9,730,000.00will be used by the Communications Regulatory Agency of BIH for implementation of 10 projects, in accordance with the Digital Communications Sector Policy and best practice of the European Union member-countries.

The planned projects are: Control and Monitoring of Compliance with conditions of licence and benchmarking mobile networks – Mobile networks (KM 1,500,000); Quality Measurement of Broadband Internet Access (KM 500,000); Centralised System for Monitoring of Number of Services with All Cable Operators (KM 1,100,000); Information System for Electronic Monitoring of Network Resources and Licence Holders in Telecommunications in Authorised Institutions Via Geographic Information System (GIS) (KM 650,000); Child Protection on Internet in CRA Licence Holders’ Systems (KM 450,000); Centralised DIS System (Document management System) (KM 300,000); Development of sensor network for coverage of urban areas in big cities in BIH for measurement of congestion of radiofrequency spectre, interference detection and geolocation of source of emission (KM 2,000,000); Development of regulatory framework for radiofrequency bands used by drones for protection of the existing frequency users (KM 100,000); Information system for mechanic recognition of voices and words in media TV and radio space in BIH (Information System for Voice recognition - ISvoiceR) (KM 1,150,000).

 

MIGRANT SITUATION

 

The Council of Ministers took note of Information by the Ministry of Security on the situation in the area of migrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina concerning an increased migrant inflow.

The foreigners’ Affairs Service got registered 696 illegal migrants to January 27, 2019, out of whom 585 indicated their intention to seek asylum, nine of them applied for it. Among those migrants there are 20 under-aged persons without escort, and 19 of them declared their intention to seek asylum.

The major number of migrants arriving to BIH in January are from Pakistan (106), and Iraq (2012), followed by migrants form Syria (85), Morocco (73), and Algeria (67), and among the other 29.7 % of migrants they came from Bangladesh (43), Iran (40), India (34), Libya (32), and Palestine (25).

 

TO DEVELOP AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION CENTRE

 

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BIH will continue its activities, in cooperation with competent bodies of the Entities and Brčko District of BIH for development of an Agricultural Information System and all of its components.

These activities will be continued in accordance with the Law on Agriculture, Food and Rural Development in BIH, European Commission recommendations and European Union legislation, reads Information on the level of development of agricultural information system in Bosnia and Herzegovina and all its components, adopted by the Council of Ministers of BIH.

The development of the system will enable agriculture sector decision makers to get high quality analyses, and information collected will be available to agricultural producers, traders and consumers.

The agricultural information system will be a tool for access to finances from the EU assistance schemes and funds for agriculture.

Information reads that the statistical directory of farms have been already set-up, as well as registers for identification and movement control of animals, including clients register , phytosanitary and  GIS register and inspection system.

 

TO HARMONISE MATERNITY ALLOWANCES

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Ninth Report of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Application of the European Social Charter/Revised/ (Group IV: Children, Families and Migrants) – referent period January 2015 – December 2017.

The report indicates that the existing corps of legal regulations is not harmonised when in question maternity allowances in the Federation of BIH, so that they would be identical though all Cantons in the Entity.

The report was drafted by a cross-sector work group comprised of expert representatives of competent Ministries and Institutions of BIH, Entities and Brčko District of BIH.

The Council of Ministers will, by adoption of the Report, fulfil the obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina as of an international personality filling-in its report on application of the revised European Social Charter.

 

FINANCING SPORTS IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted information analysing the situation on financing the sports at all levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of BIH provides KM 1,352,000 annually for the needs of sports.

 

IMPLEMENTATION OF ROAD MAP FOR EXPORT OF PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL AND HERBAL ORIGIN

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a report on implementation of a Road Map aimed at creating conditions for export of products of animal and herbal origin in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

By implementation do-date of the Road Map-defined concrete measures allowed expert of milk and milk products and poultry to the European Union member-countries. An effective supervision system was established, along with the control of production and producers of fruit and vegetables, while quantities register was set-up thus eliminating problems with fruit and vegetables export to the Russian Federation. A number of by-laws was adopted necessary for adequate implementation of food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policies in the process of harmonisation with the relevant EU regulations. Activities currently are on-going for amendment of state laws on food and veterinary service, as well as on agriculture and rural development in BIH.

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