Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds its 14th and 15th Session
07/26/2012
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH called upon all holders of the most important state and political offices in BIH and the most responsible officials at the lower levels of authority (Entities, Cantons) to do their best to fulfil defined obligations from the EU integrations process.
The fulfilment of obligations and key priorities from the Road Map within deadlines will enable the enforcement of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, and submission of a credible application for the EU membership by the end of this year.
The Road Map provides that by August 31, 2012, a proposal amendment of the BIH Constitution should be submitted to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH, made compliant with the European Court for Human Rights Award in case Sejdić&Finci, while the Constitutional reform of BIH needs to be implemented by November 30 this year.
Three days after the local elections, scheduled for October 7, an Annual progress report, to be prepared by the European Commission, for BIH will be discussed, and by the end October, BIH needs to have prepared answers to two lists of sector-related questions (chapter 5 – public procurement, and chapter 27 natural environment), handed to BIH on June 27.
The second meeting of high level dialogue on association process is planned to take place in November in Sarajevo.
Executive power of BIH and political leaders took the Road Map on June 27, at a meeting in Brussels on opening of the high level dialogue on accession process, organised by Štefan Füle Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy.
Previously, at tis 14th session, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Ministry of Defence on implementation of a Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Service in Armed forces of BIH – funds transfer to Entity Pension Funds.
Ministers granted their consent to the Ministry of Defence for implementation documents to be agreed-to and singed with the competent Entity institutions for the implementation of the Law on Amendment and Supplements to the Law on Service in Armed Forces of BIH and Law on Budget of BIH Institutions and International Obligations of BIH in 2012.
The Council of Ministers authorised Minister of Defence Muhamed Ibrahimoivić to sign the implementation documents to be concluded with relevant Entity institutions.
The Council granted it consent to the Ministry of Finance and Treasury to transfer funds via the Single Treasury Account from the BIH Budget, that were approved to the Ministry of Defence of BIH, based upon signed-to agreement with the Pension Funds of the Federation of BIH and Rrepublika Srpska.
Under the agreement, out of total approved KM 19,917,000.00 the Federal Pension Fund should get KM 15,893,805.00 and Republika Srpska Pension Fund should get KM
4, 023,195.00.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Communications, aiming to remove legal uncertainties in view of the appointment of the Communication Regulatory Agency (CRA) Council members.
The Amendment Law provides that the Council is comprised of seven members appointed by the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH to four years term, with a possibility of only one renewed term.
With the proscribed requirements for CRA Council members, the Amendments and Supplements to the Law specify that the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH needs to provide reasons for non-appointing certain candidates proposed by the Council of Ministers of BIH, with an introduction of a new obligation of publishing job vacancy in case the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina fails to submit timely candidacies or the Parliamentarian Assembly does not pass the proposals.
Ministers adopted an Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and other members of the SEE Education Reform Initiative (SEE ERI) on the seat of the ERI Secretariat, and tasked Minister of Civil Affairs Sredoje Nović to sign the Agreement.
The new seat of the SEE ERI Secretariat will be in Belgrade, after the Republic of Serbia took over presidency over this Initiative from the Republic of Croatia.
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina defined proposal basics for conclusion of an Additional Financing Agreement 2 to the October 12, 2009 Financing Agreement and Project the KfW, Frankfurt am Main, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BIH (“Beneficiary”), and Republika Srpska, represented by the Ministry of Finance (“RS”) and City of Banja Luka (“Project Execution Agency”) for EUR 1,470,000.00 for Urban Water Supply and Sanitation in Banja Luka (component I: “Water Supply” and component 2: “Sanitation Systems”, jointly: “Project”).
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Basics to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Minister of Finance and Treasury of BIH Nikola Špirić is proposed for the signatory of the Agreement.
Under the Additional Financing Agreement, the KfW increases the earlier provided grant funds to BIH of 6,980,000.00 for additional EUR 1,470.000.00, so that the new amount will total EUR 8,450,000.00. This project will improve the protection of natural resources and improve living conditions of Banja Luka citizens.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to establish NATO Committee for Integration Process of Bosnia and Hezregovina, to be chaired by Ana Trišić-Babić, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of BIH.
The Committee will, among other things, define priorities in implementation of BIH obligations stemming from BIH’s participation in “Partnership for Peace” NATO Programme, in addition to addressing the issue of admission to a full membership in NATO.
With formation of this Committee, the Council of Ministers of BIH Coordination Team for NATO, set-up in 2007, ceases its operations.
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina defined proposal basics for negotiations for signing of a Treaty/Agreement on Arms Trade (Arms Trade Treaty - ATT), with a view at improving the international and regional peace.
The Agreement calls for the highest joint international standards for import, export and transfer of conventional arms, and all countries signatories reserve their sovereign right to impose restrictive measures on their respective territory.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide the proposal basics to the Presidency of BIH, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Zlatko Lagumdžija is proposed as the signatory.
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina accepted an Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and appointed a delegation team for negotiations for conclusion of a Financing Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Development Association – Real Estate Registration Project.
The aim of the Project is to support development of a sustainable system of real estate registration with harmonised evidence in land registry and cadastre in urban areas of the Federation of BIH and Republika Srpska.
It is an IDA loan worth USD 30 million with 25 term, including five year grace period, and the allocation of loan proceeds will be agreed in the course of negotiations.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BIH, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to adopt a Project of Primary Broadcast Network of Digital Terrestrial Broadcast – DVB-T, to enable coverage of 85per cent of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s territory by digital signal.
This project represents a follow-up of the micro-wave link digitalisation project of public broadcasters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which solved the issue of broadcasting network of Public Broadcasting Services in BIH, while under the project of Primary Broadcast network will solve the issue of coverage of a major part of BIH territory by digital signal from the following broadcast locations: Plješevica, Kozara, Vlašić, Udrgovo, Tušnica, Kmur, Fortica, Leotar, Hum and Trebević.
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted Information and proposal priprities for presidency by BIH over the CEFA 2006 Agreement for the period of Hanaury 1 to December 13, 2013.
Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović was appointed as a chair of the CEFTA 2006.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BIH is in charge to develop, by the end of 2012 and based on presented priorities, a presidency programme and its budget, to amount up to total KM 90,000,000.00 within DOB and Budget requirements for 2013.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations indicated 13 priority points for its term as the presiding over the CEFTA, including: improvement of trade with agricultural products, proactive approach to finding solution to sanitary and phyto-sanitary issues, further liberalisation of trade with services, reduction of non-customs and technical barriers in trade.
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted Information of the Secretariat-General on the status of cars in offices of Chairman and Ministers of the Council of Ministers of BIH, with an aim at regulating this area and long-time savings of budget funds.
The institutions of the Council of Ministers of BIH are in charge to provide, by the end of August 2012, to the Council of Ministers of BIH data on cars, which need to be sold due to their age of production and the general state, and for the reason of savings they will be sold in a unique manner.
Also, the institutions are recommended to consider a reduction of number of users of official cars, as additional savings are possible to be made in this way.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury is in charge to develop a regulation to define criteria for change of cars, in a way to define a need for change of 4 year old cars or cars with over 120,000 km passed, including criteria for class of cars, taking care of the importance and rank of the institutions concerned.
Due to large maintenance costs, the Council of Ministers of BIH assessed as rational and justifiable to sell and buy cars currently in use by the Office of Chairman and in Offices of Ministers who requested the change.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury should implement required procedures in view of assessment of cars and consider the prospects for funds provision for acquisition (change) of cars in a way defined at the session.
The Supreme Audit office will be requested to issue its opinion on possibilities for change of cars “old for new”, since there are differing opinions in different institutions of BIH on this matter.
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina granted its consent to a proposed text for exchange of notes between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the People’s Republic of China on a grant, in line with the December 29, 2005Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the People’s Republic of China and Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exchange notes.
Under the exchange of notes, the People’s Republic of China will grant to Bosnia and Herzegovina machinery and equipment for agriculture for returnee population, including dentist and medical equipment of total value of KM seven million.
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina took a decision on the level of basic salary for employees in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2013, which will amount KM 475.69, the same as the basic salary in 2012.
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