Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina holds its 30th Session
12/03/2012
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
According to the Proposal Law, a refugee from Bosnia and Herzegovina and displaced person have right to return to their previous residence, to choose other residence, and recovery of its property or indemnification - a make-up for unrecoverable property.
The Proposal Law defines that within 120 day after promulgation of the Law, the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees will develop, in coordination with competent Entity, Brčko District and local authorities, needed guidelines and single beneficiary list by kind of assistance at BIH level, which will lay foundations for permanent solution to dealing with the right to home.
In compliance with the Law, all until a full completion of gaols from the Annex VII, funds for carrying out the rights of refugees, displaced persons and returnees from BIH at a level of 2 per cent are to be provided from budget of BIH Institutions, Entities and Brčko District cantons, cities and municipalities, while the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees and Committee for refugees will coordinate relevant activities and allocate funds for joint projects.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Financing of BIH Institutions, which the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide to the Parliamentarian Assembly for consideration under urgent procedure.
The adoption of this Law stemmed from the Stand-By Arrangement with the International Monetary fund, which Bosnia and Herzegovina committed itself to by signing a Letter of Intent.
The Proposal law specifies uncertainties in order the solve the issue of foreign debt servicing in circumstances of BIH Institutions budget non adoption, including financing of BIH intuitions in periods of a temporary financing regime.
The proposal law provides for the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH to adopt law on budget of BIH institutions and international oblgiati0osn of BIH by March 31 each year, and failing that, current expenditures would be realised for functioning of BIH institutions, of which the Council of Ministers of BIH takes special decision.
The proposed solutions are compliant with a Decision of the Constitutional Court of BIH, which specifies that total disabling of operations of BIH institutions must not be allowed in case the Parliamentarian Assembly fails to adopt budget until the legally prescribed deadline.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a request to Parliamentarian Assembly, at its previous session, to withdraw the Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the parliamentarian procedure.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Administrative Procedure, which the Ministry of Justice will provide to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH with a view at improvement of existing procedures and overcoming certain uncertainties in the Law implementation.
According to the Proposal Law, administrative bodies and institutions with public competences are due to enable to parties an access to requested data, prescribed forms, their websites and to make available other information, advices and expert assistance.
Under the Amendment Law, electronic communication is fully functional so that a party in procedure may supply and withdraw its request on-line.
Supplements to the Law provide for an underage person to act as witness as interviewed in the presence of its legal representative.
Assistant Minister of Justice of BIH Milana Popadić was appointed on behalf of the Council of Ministers of BIH for a member of the High Judicial and prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a four-year term.
The Council of Ministers of BIH passed Information on adopted decisions of the European Commission concerning the Transition and Institution Building Component of the IPA multi-beneficiary programmes, as follows: IPA 2012 Multi-Beneficiary Programme (MBP 2012); IPA 2010 Multi-Beneficiary Programme Amendment No.2; IPA 2012 Monitoring Programme; and Amendment No.1 of Civil Society Support Programme(CFS).
The Council of Ministers authorised Head of the Directorate for European Integrations Nevenka Savić to send a letter to the European Commission confirming consent with these multi-beneficiary programmes and ways of their implementation.
The European Commission adopted the Transition and Institution Building Component of the IPA multi-beneficiary programmes, on May 31 this year, worth EUR 108,645,650.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted information of the Directorate of European Integrations on technical meeting on outstanding issues in the area of veterinary between representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Union.
The BIH Veterinary Office is in charge to cooperate with competent institutions at State and Entity level in preparation of documents containing data on entities importing raw materials from the European Union and on produced items from these raw materials, and to provide it to competent services of the European Union via the directorate for European Integrations.
The BIH Veterinary Office is in charge to inform the State Committee for Integrated Border Management of BIH on position of the European Commission, presented at a technical meeting, concerning of goods originating from third countries, reaching BIH through the Ploče Port.
The technical meeting was held in Brussels on September 21, 2012 between representatives of the BIH Veterinary Office, European commission DG for Health and Customers Protection with an aim at solving outstanding issues in view of creation of preconditions for export of products of animal origin to the European Union.
The Council of Ministers of BIH tasked the directorate for European Commission to deliver to Entity, Brčko District and cantonal governments and parliaments a letter with a list of key measures.
Competent institutions and other administrative bodies are in charge to include these measures into their relative 2013 work plans and to report the Directorate for European Integrations on their implementation, in form of an Attachment of Institutions/Supplement to Attachment of BIH Institutions to 2013 Annual Progress Report on European Integrations Process, to be delivered by the Directorate to the European Commission.
The list of key measures is a constituent part of the letter Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle sent to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH for the purpose of implementation of measures for next year’s positive progress report on BIH European Integrations process.
The measures include a submission of the proposal to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH, drafting a supplement to the BIH Constitution for its adjustment to the European Court for Human Rights Award in “Sejdić-Finci” case, and priority establishment of a required effective coordination mechanism across all levels of authority for transposition, implementation and application of the EU legislation and effective utilisation of the available finds. Also, measures of establishment of the State Aid Council and its operability are especially pointed, in addition to general census of population, households and dwellings in BIH I n2013.
These measures are contained in Key Priority Areas from the 2012 Progress Report document which include over 25 activities to be implemented by BIH authorities in the areas such as; political criteria , judiciary, economic development, and EU standards.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a set of decisions on allocation of about KM four million – as grant funds to entities in the area of culture innovation and sports, which submitted their projects in a public invitation, in accordance to criteria earlier adopted by the Council of Ministers of BIH.
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision on allocation of KM 2,400,000.00 from the current grant “Co-Financing of Cultural Projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina” for 2012. Money will go to 66 entities for their projects in amount span from KM 4,000.00 to KM 215,000.00, the sum which will be granted to the Library for Blind and Persons with Visual Disability in BIH for a project of preparation of 300 volumes in technics for blind and persons with visual disability.
A decision was made to allocate KM 75,000.00 from the current grant for co-financing of a project in the area of “Support to technical culture and innovations for 2012”.
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision on allocation of KM 910,000.00 from current grant for “co-financing of sports events” for 2012. Beneficiaries will be 74 sports clubs in BIH, among which there are the Basketball Federation of BIH which receives KM 80,000.00, Athletic Federation of BIH with KM 27,000.00, Volleyball Federation of BIH with KM 45,000.00, Skating Sports Federation of BIH with KM 27,000.00, Sitting Volleyball Federation of BIH with KM 34,000.00, Tennis Federation of BIH with KM 335,000.00, Judo Federation of BIH with KM 20,000.00, Chess Union of BIH with KM 23,000.00 and others.
Also a decision on allocation of KM 400,000.00 from current grant “International Cooperation in Culture” for 2012 allocates funds to 49 entities which proposed their projects in this area.
All beneficiaries are due to provide to the Ministry of Civil Affairs reports on related fund spending.
The Council of Ministers of BIH accepted an Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and designated a delegation for negotiations for conclusion of a Loan Agreement between BIH and the Development Bank of the Council of Europe for Financing of Closing of Collective and Alternative Accommodation Centres in BIH through provision of public housing solution. Following discussions, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide to the Council of Ministers of BIH a Draft Agreement with basics for its conclusion.
The Agreement calls for financing of the project of closing of collective and alternative accommodation centres by way of providing for accommodation in public housing in BIH. The completion of this EUR 60 million worth project, to be managed by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees Fund for Return, is scheduled for May, 2018.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Finance Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Development Association - Immovable Property Registration Project, with its basics for conclusion. The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Agreement to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Minister Nikola Špirić is proposed for the BIH signatory.
The project aims to support sustainable immovable property registration system development with harmonised data base in land registry and cadastre in urban areas of the Federation of BIH and Republika Srpska. The project funds, provided from a USD 30 million IDA loan with 25 year term and 5 year grace period, will be allocated to the Federation of BIH and Republika Srpska,
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Loan Agreement for Financing Medical Equipment Procurement Project for Public Institution General Hospital “Abdulah Nakaš”, between Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, and UniCredit Bank Austria AG, with basics for its conclusion. The Ministry of Finance and treasury will submit the Proposal Agreement to the Presidency of BIH, and Minister Nikola Špirić is proposed for the signatory. The EUR 7,475,000.00 loan is of 10 year repayment period, starting from June 30, 2019.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of Croatia on Mutual Protection of Classified Data, which the Ministry of Security will provide to the Presidency of BIH, and Assistant Minister of Security Mate Miletić is proposed as the signatory.
This Agreement sets up rules and procedures for protection of classified data in international exchange within political, military, economic, legal, scientific, technologic and any other form of cooperation.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees on BIH scientific diaspora and possibilities to use it for development of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to raise awareness of human potentials in diaspora and to launch activities targeting development of system solutions for using these potentials for development nod cessation of brain-drain from BIH and facilitation of temporary, part time and permanent return of scientific diaspora back to BIH.
The Council of Ministers of BIH considers diaspora resources, including human resources and scientific diaspora, an relevant factor for development in BIH. Therefore, Ministers proposed to BIH institutions to use diaspora resources for development and include them into their development documents.
According to this information, Bosnia and Herzegovina is 12th country in the world by the percentage of emigrants relative to its total population, with over 1.6 million people, including the second and third generations.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is at 15th place in the world and second in Europe by the percentage of cash earmarking from abroad in country’s GDP, which, according to the World Bank 2010 data, amounts from13 to 22 per cent of annual GDP.
(end)