Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 127thand 128th Sessions
01/05/2018
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted at today’s 128th session a Proposal Rural Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina Strategic Plan (2018-2021), to be sent to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH for consideration under urgent procedure.
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Dr Denis Zvizdić earlier called for an urgent adoption of the BIH Rural Development Strategy, following which the Government of RepublikaSrpska endorsed this strategic framework document, on the last working day of 2017.
The adoption thereof creates conditions for domestic agricultural producers to benefit, by way of projects, from the European Union millions worth funds, which would be one more among positive news to reflect the overall progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Strategic Plan will secure a wide framework to lead to a gradual harmonisation of agriculture and rural development in BIH with the best EU practices.
The Rural Development Strategic Plan fully considers the Entity competences, and the development thereof included equal participation by of Entity Governments representatives, whose requests were appreciated to a maximum.
Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović informed the European Commission and relevant bodies in Brussels of the adoption of the strategic document by the Council of Ministers of BIH.
SHORTER DEADLINES FOR EXCERCISING RIGHT TO COURT PROTECTION
The Council of Ministers, at the sequel of its 127th session, defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Administrative Disputes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which improve the existing solutions and remove uncertainties for the sake of better implementation of the law in practice.
The Law Amendments shorten the deadline for filling the claims from earlier 60 to 30 days, which enables parties to exercise their rights to court protection in a shorter time if they consider their right was not satisfied in an administrative procedure before the competent administrative bodies.
The Law Supplements define, among other things, that the party launching a dispute procedure before the court because of “administration silence” does not pay for the dispute procedure costs even in case it loses the case; the aim of the stipulation is to strengthen citizens’ legal security. Launching of administrative dispute procedure is possible now under equal conditions to natural and legal persons, parts in an administrative dispute procedure.
The new legal solutions, harmonised with relevant regulations in neighbouring countries, provide for each party to prove facts which it is to calls upon, while the court will only consider the subject claim.
The Law proposing followed after consultations, involving, among others, non-government organisations, the suggestions of which were taken into consideration.
The Ministry of Justice will provide the Proposal Law to the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly for a regular adoption procedure.
ENDOSED INITIATIVE BY COUNCIL FOR DISPABLED PERSONS
The Council of Ministers of BIH endorsed an Initiative by the Council for Disabled Persons, upon a proposal of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, concerning the harmonisation of a Regulation on marking vehicles driven by disabled persons or in which 100 per cent disabled persons are driven.
The Ministry of Communications and Transport will reflect urgently on the regulation on marking vehicles driven by disabled persons or in which 100 per cent disabled persons are driven, including on the level of harmonisation thereof with the relevant European Union regulations. The Ministry will also provide information on measures undertaken and planned in connection to the Banja Luka-based UDAS Initiatives of Amputees and other organisations of disabled persons in BIH.
Namely, several organisations required revision of the Regulation, noting that it is, in some parts, discriminatory towards disabled persons.
BIH GETS A PARCEL FOR EMBASSY IN RIYADH
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a proposal protocol on Amendments and Supplements to the Protocol between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on mutual exchange of immobility – parcels for construction of diplomatic offices in Sarajevo and Riyadh, for the aim at strengthening bilateral cooperation.
This way the conditions for construction of diplomatic offices both in Sarajevo and Riyadh were met.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide to the BIH Presidency for further procedure the Proposal Protocol on Amendments and Supplements to the Protocol, and Minister Igor Crnadak was proposed as the BIH signatory.
MEDIA COOPERATION WITH CHINA INTENSIFIED
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Memorandum of Understanding in the Area of Media between the Ministry of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Information Office of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China.
According to the Memorandum, competent bodies of the two states will actively cooperate in exchange programmes between media organisations, including the exchangeof programmes and news and joint live coverages. They will also work on setting-up a mechanism for inciting cooperation and exchange in the areas of printing, publishing, broadcasting, film and TV.
The Proposal Memorandum will be provided to the BIH Presidency for approval, and the Minister of Communications and Transport was proposed for the BIH signatory.
FULFILMENT FOF INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS
The Council of Ministers of BIH took the Directorate for European Integrations-proposed Decision on defining functions, structures and bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina responsible for territorial cooperation programmes within the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) 2014-2020.
This way the Council of Ministers fulfils its obligations from the Framework Agreement between BIH and the European Commission on arrangements for implementation of the EU financial assistance to Bosnia and Herzegovina within IPA II, as well as from the concluded bilateral and trilateral agreements.
Bosnia and Herzegovina participates in total six territorial cooperation programmes within the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II), namely, three cross-border cooperation programmes with neighbouring countries and three transnational programmes: Danube, Mediterranean (MED), and Adriatic-Ionian (ADRION).
Under the Decision and according to the Framework Agreement, the Directorate for European Integrations is responsible for operative structure activities in cross-border cooperation programmes, implemented in both direct and indirect management systems.
TO IMPLEMENT PRIORITIES FOR HIGH EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT IN BIH
The Council of Ministers adopted Information of the Ministry for Civil Affairs on implementation of a Framework Law on High Education in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Priorities for High Education Development in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2016-2016, and took several conclusions aiming to improve situation in the area.
The Implementation of Priorities for High Education Development in BIH by 2016 was said to contribute to further harmonisation of high education in our country with policies, standards, aims and priorities of the European high education. These are the priorities grouped in the following seven key areas: good governance and management, resources, linking of labour market with high education, qualification standards, student experience, and internationalisation and statistics.
ENABLED EFFECTIVE BOVINE VACCINATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on Amendment of the Decision on introduction of temporary measures relating to animal identification and animal movement control throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Decision will enable an effective vaccination of cattle against bovine lumpy skin disease in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
ESTABLISHED OEPRATIVE-COMMUNICATION CENRE OF BIH – 112
A multi-annual capital project “Establishment of Operative-Communication Centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina - 112” was fully realised, reports the Ministry of Security, adopted by the Council of Ministers of BIH.
This way, the Operative-Communication Centre of BIH – 112 was set-up, equipped and put into operation at locations in Sarajevo and Tuzla. More than KM 4.2 million from the Budget of BIH Institutions was used for the project realisation.
MUTUAL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS SETTLED
The 128th session of the Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent to an Agreement on Mutual Rights and Obligations of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of Slovenia concerning an arbitrage procedure in a case on claim by the Elekrogospodarstvo Slovenia (Power Utility of Slovenia) – Development and Engineering, Ltd. Maribor, Republic of Slovenia, against respondent Bosnia and Herzegovina before the International Centre for Solving Investment Disputes in Washington.
Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Dr Denis Zvizdić was authorised to sign the Agreement. According to the Agreement, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia committed to bear all costs of the arbitrage procedure, as well as to make payment of a sum based on final arbitrage ruling, in case such ruling should make Bosnia and Herzegovina liable. In this dispute Bosnia and Herzegovina will be represented by the Chief Attorney’s Office of BIH and lawyers and law companies for international expert legal services, to be selected in a public procurement procedure.
It is about the arbitrage procedure that the Elekrogospodarstvo Slovenia launched against BIH, calling upon the pre-war investments to the Ugljevik Mine and Coal Power Plant, seeking a compensation as high as KM 1,359,645,000.00.
ADOPTED FINAL REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTION PLAN FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF UN RESOLUTION 1325
The Council of Ministers adopted, upon a proposal of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees a Final Report on Implementation of UN Resolution 1325 Implementation Action Plan, titled “Women, Peace and Security” in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2014-2017.
The Report indicates that a progress was made in a systematic approach to introduction of gender equality principle into the operation of competent institutions, especially defence and security sectors, with an aim at increasing the participation of women in military, police and peace missions. So, the percentage of women participation in peace missions is now 30 per cent, and it increased for six per cent relative to year 2014, or 14 per cent, compared to year 2010.
In this period of time, data bases were improved and now, classified by gender, are being regularly up-dated, so a number of initiatives considerably grew from competent institutions for laws, by-laws, strategy, policies and programmes to be harmonised with the Law on Gender Equality. The number of acts which security sector institutions provide to the Gender Equality Agency for an opinion grew for about three times.
With a continued regional cooperation, followed by an exchange of good practices in the area, a wider cooperation was realised, which enable better promotion to BIH.
DECLARATION ON CRITERIA FOR DEFINING ROUTEK FOR FUTURE BELGRADE-SARAJEVO MOTORWAY
The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of a Declaration on criteria for setting the route of future motorway between Belgrade and Sarajevo, which was adopted at the 53rd session of the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives.
(end)