Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 64th Session

The Council of Ministers of BIH received information that the Minister of Defence has prepared 15 amendments to a Draft Law on Public Procurement. The amendments in written form will be urgently provided to Ministers, so that the Council of Ministers may reflect on the entire Draft Law at its next session and send it to a parliamentarian procedure. 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined, by a majority vote, a Proposal Law on non-working days during religious holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina for employees in all institutions, agencies, organisations and companies and of all other forms of organisation of activities and services in the territory Bosnia and Herzegovina, with suggestions passed at the session.

The Propsal Law defines equal number of non-working days, up to five days a year, for feasting defined religious holidays for members of the Islamic community, and Orthodox, Catholic and Jewish confession, as well as for members of other confessions in BIH.

Within six days from the Law taking force, both Entities and the Brčko District are obliged to harmonise their respective legislation on holidays with this Law.

The adoption of such Law is among obligations from the Agreement BIH has concluded with the Holy Sea and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will provide the Proposal Law to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Protocol between the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ministry of Interior of Montenegro and Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia on foundation and operation of a Joint Police Cooperation Centre, in compliance with a SEE Police Cooperation Convention.

This way, the three States co-found a Centre, to be seated in the area of Trebinje Border Police Field Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a purpose of prevention and combat against all forms of cross-border crime, prevention of illegal migrations and enhancement of international confidence and intensification of cross-border cooperation.

The Ministry of Security will provide a Proposal Protocol with a report on discussions undertaken to the Presidency of BIH for a further procedure, and Minister Fahrudin Radončić is proposed for the BIH signatory.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Preliminary Report of the Directorate for European Integrations with baseline findings from the IPA Monitoring Board 7^th meeting.

The Council called on competent institutions, project beneficiaries, to take urgent measures to remove obstacles to the continuation of implementation of five projects, and to regularly report their activities to IPA National Coordinator.

The Competent institutions are in charge to inform the National IPA Coordinator, by September 27, 2013, on the activities undertaken so that the National Coordinator would be able to inform the European Commission accordingly, by October 1, 2013.

These five IPA projects of total value of EUR 7 million aim a support to the sector of tourism, SME quality management system, strategic planning process enforcement, and social services system.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined individual proposal basics for negotiations and conclusion of a Treaty on Extradition, Treaty on Legal Support in Criminal Matters, and Treaty on Transfer of Convicts between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Turkey, for the purpose of fostering cooperation on suppression of organised crime and sanctioning of perpetrators.

Pursuant to the signed Treaties, the extradition of persons will be carried out for all criminal acts for which one year prison sentence or stricter sentence was prescribed, under the respective legislation of the two states.

The Treaty on Transfer of Convicts enables  convicts to serve their sentence in their domicile country.

The Ministry of Justice will forward the individual Proposal Protocols to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Minister of Justice Bariša Čolak is proposed a the BIH signatory.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH sent an Initiative to the Indirect Taxation Administration (ITA) Steering Board concerning an additional funding of BIH health system institutions from the revenues earned on tobacco and alcohol excises. 

The ITA Steering Board will make an analysis based on the Initiative on possible solutions for provision of additional resources for the health system, in line with the applicable legal framework.

The Council of Ministers of BIH, having regard of adverse  effects of tobacco and alcohol to  health of population, seeks to increase funds available for medical treatment, following the practice in the EU countries.

So, total KM 716 million were collected in BIH in year 2011 from the tobacco excise, while in Croatia, for example, 32 per cent of tobacco excises are collected every month, replenishing the Croatian Health Care Institute by EUR 130 million revenue a year.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted the following three reports: Report on realisation of a Decision on control and supervision of implementation of obligations from international bilateral and multilateral contracts, agreements and conventions in respect to identification of origin of goods in 2012; Report on check of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s origin of goods cleared under FORM-A 2012 from; and Report on supervision of application of the regulation on special conditions of marketed flour registration and marking, for 2012. The Reports were prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, in compliance to its Work Programme.

The Reports, among other things, indicate that the BIH Foreign Trade Chamber issued total 1,113 FORM-A forms, and that, based on this, i.e. under preferable conditions, BIH exported goods worth KM 27.32 million, which is 12 per cent more than in year 2011.

At the same time, the Regulation on special conditions for marketed flour registration and marking was found to be fully complied with, as proven by data indicating that 20,346,106 kg of flour were marked and 5,327,168 stamps were issued, with more than 1.100 Regulation compliance checks carried out.

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report from the International Conference on Population and Development following Year 2014 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and tasked the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees to provide the Report to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The aim of the research and evaluation of implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Conference Action Programme for 20 years, (Cairo, 1994), after Governments of 179 states committed to realise human rights-based development, in line with the Action Programme.

The research conducted by eth Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, on cooperation with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in BIH, involved over 35 State, Entity and Brčko District institutions.

The Report contains eight chapters, among which: population; sustainable economic growth and development; population growth and structure; urbanisation and internal migration; international migration and development; family; well-being of individuals and society; reproductive rights and reproductive health; health, morbidity and mortality; gender equality and women empowerment; and population, development and education.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Regulation on devices for application of phytopharmaceuticals, which regulate conditions in respect to facilities, equipment and staff of licenced legal and natural persons for conducting regular checks of devices for application of phytopharmaceuticals.

Under the Regulation, the checks would include all aspects relevant to achieving an optimal and effective application of phytopharmaceuticals so as to decrease environmental pollution and protect the health of people, animals and herbs.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Rules of Procedure of BIH State Committee for Borders, tasked for identification of border with neighbouring states, development of proposals for correction of demarcation lines and preparation of proposal inter-governmental contracts on border demarcation line with the neighbours.

The Committee, seated in Sarajevo, will be managed by a president with his two deputies.

 

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision on appointment of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s representatives in the Inter-Governmental Monitoring Committee for Implementation and Application of an Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of Serbia on Navigation Internal Water Ways and Their Technical Maintenance.

Appointed Committee members are: Izet Bajrambašić and Snežana hadžić from the Ministry of Communications and Transport, Oliver Mičić from the Ministry of Fforeign Affairs, Vladimir Milenković from the Ministry of Security, and Miralem Boloban, Vesna Vožni and Mladen Rogić from competent Entity and Brčko District institutions.

 

Upon a proposal of the ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took individual decisions on grating BIH citizenship to the following individuals: Mira-Car Zovko, doctor of dentistry and citizen of the Republic of Croatia; Fatih Kol, football expert and citizen of the Republic of Turkey; and Nicoll-Marie Begović, member of BIH national dressage selection and citizen of Great Britain.

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