Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 25thSession
09/29/2015
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined and will forward to parliamentarian procedure a Proposal Law on Days off during Religious Holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which sets an equal number of non-working days in a year during religious holiday for Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics, Jewish and members of other confessions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A suggestion by the Ministerof Foreign Trade and Economic Relationswas accepted for the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brčko District of BIH .to harmonise their respective laws on holidays with this Law, and as per their needs and peculiarities, they may define other dates in the Entities and Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina and define rights in respect to days off on these specific days.
Employees with these institutions, bodies, organisations, companies and all other forms of organised activities and services in the territory of BIH, according to this Law, should have five paid days off during religious holidays. So for Catholics, those days of would be the Corpus Christi, Assumption of Virgin Mary, All Hallows Day, and Christmas. For Orthodox Christians those would be Christmas, St. Archdeacon Stephen, Pentecost, Good Friday and Easter. For Muslims two days are reserved for each Ramadan Bayram and Kurban Bayram and one day at employee’s own choice for the Muharram or birthday of Prophet Mohamed. Non-working days for members of Jewish faith are the time of holidays Sukkot, Shavuot, Passover, Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Day of Atonement, while for members of other confessions, five days were also defined for the needs of celebrating religious holidays.
OPERATIVE STAFF FOR MIGRATIONS ISSUES FOR OVERCOMING MIGRANT ISSUES
The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, took a decision on Amendments and Supplements to a Decision on Establishment of Coordination Body for Migration Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Supplement Decision regulates that this Body will, in case of appearance or expected emergency crisis situations in the migrations domain, act as an operative staff for migrations issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina. When the Coordination Body is in session as the operative staff for migrations issues in BIH, wit will be comprised of chiefs of staffs from the Entity and Brčko District levels.
The Coordination Staff for Migrations Issues in BIH will coordinate all activities with competent institutions and agencies, as well as with established staffs and other Entity and Brčko District of BIH bodies, in addition to coordination with international organisations and NGOs, in order to overcome a specific migrations-related crisis.
The Staff would propose measures, decisions and procedures of action of the Council of Ministers of BIH and other competent institutions and agencies via the Ministry of Security.
Minister of Security if BH Dragan Mektić was appointed chair of the nine-member Coordination Body.
BLUE DIESEL FOR FARMERS
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined an Initiative for starting a procedure for adoption of a Law on Supplements to the Law on Excises in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which refers to freeing from excises and tolls to diesel fuel (blue diesel) used in agricultural primary production.
The Initiative will be forwarded to the Indirect Taxation Administration Steering Board, which should issue its opinion to the Supplements, as early as possible.
The Council of Ministers of BIH this way gives its support to creation of favourable conditions for primary agricultural producers in BIH, which have faced for a longer period of time adverse weather conditions (floods, drought, fire etc.), resulting in enormous losses. The proposed freeing form excises payments (KM0.30/l) and tolls (KM 0.15/1 for roads) and KM 0.10/1 for road construction would be a meaningful incentive to agricultural producers for their future businesses. Simultaneously, favourable conditions are made this way for making them more competitive in relation producers from the neighbouring countries, which are freed from excises payments for dunes and blue diesel.
This came as an important measure for providing better conditions for investment to primary agricultural production, allowing for further development of total agricultural production and job creation in the area, which would increase competitiveness of BIH producers, along with improved foreign exchange of BIH with CEFTA countries and the European Union in terms of agricultural products and food.
The proposed Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Excises represent one among measures adopted by the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH at its 61st session of the House of Representatives and at the 37thsessionof the House of Peoples.
Freeing from excises and dunes for diesel fuel would is a benefit to only registered farms.
COOPERATION WITH ISLAMIC COMMUNITY
The Council of Ministers of BIH upon a proposal of the Ministry for Human Right and Refugees defined a Proposal Basic Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with some amendments tabled at the session. The Basic Agreement should secure a uniform format under which all churches and religious communities in BH will operate and be equalised in their rights and obligations without any discrimination whatsoever.
Earlier concluded were the Basic Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Holy See with the Additional Protocol, as well as the Basic Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Serbian Orthodox Church
Under the Agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Islamic Community in BIH confirm that, each of them is, in its own domain, independent and committed to respect this principle in their mutual relations, and that they will cooperate for the comprehensive spiritual and material development of a man, as for the improvement of general well-being.
The Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of BIH will provide the Proposal Basic Agreement, with the adopted negotiations report to the BIH Presidency for further procedure.
MOSTAR-BASED INSTITUTIONS TO GET DURABLE SOLUTION FOR ACCOMODATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, took a Decision to approve a project of facility procurement for accommodation of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina based in Mostar, with a view to solve the issue systematically, based on a conclusion of the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH and Council of Ministers of BIH and recommendations of the Audit Office of BIH Institutions.
The project worth KM 5,000,000.00 has already been budgeted for 2015, so no new financial allocations were planned, and it is categorised as multi-year capital investment for 2015-2017
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina will take a special decision, to be prepared by the General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions, which will define the precise price, location and size of the facility to be procured.
By the procurement, the issue of accommodation for Mostar-based BIH Institutions will be solved for a long run, and new budget savings would be made, which is one of priorities of the incumbent Council of Ministers of BIH.
TWO CHILD RIGHTS REPORTS ADOPTED
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted, upon a proposal of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, the First Periodical Report of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Implementation of Facultative Protocol to UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, which refers to children trafficking, child prostitution and child pornography, that the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina will provide, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BIH, to the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has made a lot on fulfilment and realisation of recommendations of the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child, and showed its readiness to initiate campaigns in order to raise awareness with public of the child rights and of recommendations made for the improvement of situation in that area. All-level institutions are included into the child rights promotion activities, reads he Report.
Simultaneously, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted the First Periodic Report of Bosnia and Herzegovina on implementation of the Facultative Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which refers to inclusion of children in the armed clashes, together with final considerations of the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child, and tasked the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees to send the Report to the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
REGULATION HARMONISED WITH PUBLIC PROCUREMENT LAW
The Council of Ministers took a regulation on contracts awarded by diplomatic-consular offices and missions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance to the BIH Public Procurement Law, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Regulation is adapted to conditions of procurement in the diplomatic-consular offices of BIH for the purpose of improvement of effectiveness of procurement procedure and removal of deficiencies in the practice. The Regulation is founded on the principles of rational and economical spending of budget funds, effectiveness, equal treatment, transparency, non-discrimination and competition.
CONSENT TO VOTE
The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, granted its consent for organisation of voting by citizens of the Republic of Turkey in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the occasion of the up-coming early general elections in Turkey. Citizens of the Republic of Turkey may vote at the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sarajevo on October 24-25 in time between 10.00 and 19.00.
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