Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 68th Session

EXPANDED COMPOSITION OF BIIH AGENCY FOR DRUGS AND MEDICAL AID EXPERT COUNCIL 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined, ,  a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Drugs and Medical Aids, which would enable the Council of Ministers to appoint, on a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, two independent experts into the Expert Council of the Agency for Drugs and Medical Aids of BIH.

The responsibility of the independent experts in the Expert Council of the Agency for Drugs and Medical Aids of BIH will be to represent interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina, timely indicate at related obligations of the Council of Ministers  and provide expert contribution tin preparation of constructive proposals to the Council of ministers of BIH.

Under the defined Law Amendments, the Expert Council of the Agency for Drugs and Medical Aids will be comprised of two candidates of the Council of Ministers, two candidates from each Entity and one from the Brčko District of BIH.

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

 

LIMITATION OF PUBLIC SPENDING IN BIH INSTITUTIONS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took resolutions on the level of basis for accounting of salaries to employees in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the level of emoluments for annual leave in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2017.

The basic sum for accounting of salaries is defined to amount KM 475.69, nod annual leave emolument KM 300.00, same of 2016 level, in accordance to the Council of Ministers Policy on imitating public speeding to salaries and emoluments to employees in the BIH Institutions.

 

INFORMATION ON LUMPY SKIN DISEASE

 

The Council of Ministers adopted an Addendum Information of the ministry of Foreign Trade and economic Relations on incidences of lumpy skin disease in the region, and tasked the BIH Veterinary Office to inform of the newest developments concerning the disease the competent Entity and cantonal authorities, Border Police of BIH, Indirect Taxation Administration of BIH and all other relevant institutions in the country.

The BIH Veterinary Office is responsible to sign an agreement with the Swedish Development Agency (SIDA) on supplying vaccines for possible urgent vaccination of animals.

Upon receiving information that on July 21, 2016 the disease of lumpy skin was confirmed in the area of the Municipality of Plav in Montenegro, the Ministry of Foreign Trade nad Economic Relations supplemented, via the BIH Veterinary Office, an Instruction on ban of import of certain deliveries to BIH for the reason of prevention of taking the lumpy skin disease to BIH.

The ban of currently refers to imports from Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia and Israel.

The Veterinary Office informed competent Entity authorities and veterinary inspection, and prepared a communication for farmers and information leaflet on a need for implementation of stricter bio-safety measures to farms, which information was also provided to competent bodies and posted to the Office web site.

In order to increase the alert in case of the disease incidence, the Ministry provided, via the  Vienna-based International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) training for representatives of two laboratories this August, while materials for the disease diagnostics was received this July.

Since the lumpy skin disease is an exotic disease from the ex- A list of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), in case the disease is conformed, a crisis plan procedures will be started, which presumes establishment of a Joint Control Centre for Disease Control.

The Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers of BUH is tasked to seek information form the Border Police and Indirect Taxation Administration on measures taken from their competences, i.e. on realisation of conclusions of the Council of ministers form its 62^nd session, when the issue was first considered.

 

TO ADJUST DAIRY SECTOR TO MARKET COMPETITION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Ministry of Foreign –trade and Economic Relations on the state of affairs at BIH market of milk and dairy products for 2013-2015 period of time, and recommended to agriculture institutions to adjust making ther agrarian policies, especially in the dairy sector, to conditions of ever stronger market competition.

Information indicates that the domestic production in the reported three-year period of time maintained stability of production of fresh milk, i.e. it has just a slight increase. The milk purchase was increased and dairy industry works increasingly to diversify products and to introduce production of high market value products. The total fresh milk production had sight increase of about one per cent annually, or 689 million litres in 2013 was increased to 697.3 million litres in 2015.

The production of fresh cow’s milk, as the most important raw material for the dairy industry was stable, with only one per cent increase in the three-year period, and in 2015 it was 674 million litre, and the production of fresh sheep’s milk varies, but remains within the average of about 16 million litre, while the production of fresh goat’s milk increased for 9,5 per cent and in 2015 it reached 7.7 million litre.

The number of cows and heifers was not changed considerably in the reported three-year period of time and it averaged about 290,000 to 293,000 heads.

The total number of milk producers has decreased over the past several years, and in 2014/2015 their number was 12,553, however number of milk producers with more than five cows increased.

The three-year period of time saw 16 per cent increase of milk purchase and it was 234 million litres in 2015. The purchase price in 2015 was KM 0.54 per litre and was less for 6.9 per cent compared to 2013 and 2014 prices.

The production of the UHT drinking milk was decreased for two per cent and in 2015 it was 119 litres, while the production of cream, yogurt and other fermented products increased for 23 per cent.

The total foreign exchange of milk and dairy products in 2015 amounted to KM 189 million, of which 68 accounted for import and 32 for expert.

 

STRICTER SANCTIONING OF CORRUPTION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH Adopted, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Justice, Information on implementation of priorities 2015 Report of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the belonging Action Plan – Part A, on an introduction of stricter sanctions, having a better diverting effect in  targeting  prevention and fight against corruption.

The Council of Ministers finds the existing sanctions provisions, prescribed in the Criminal Codes in Bosnia and Herzegovina for criminal acts of corruption adequate in terms of effectiveness of punishing, while punishment policy proved mild and inadequate.

Information on implementation of activities as per priorities from the 2015 Bosnia and Herzegovina Report, will be provided by the Ministry of Justice to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Entity governments and to Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as to Entity Ministries of Justice and Legislative Committee of the Brčko District of BIH.

The Council of Ministers of BIH urges to the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council to make the Information available to managers of all legislative institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the sake of realisation of a Strategic Programme 3.11. ““Improvement of Sanction Policy for criminal acts of corruption aiming proactive deterrence from acts of corruption”” under the 2015-2019 Action Plan of the Anti-Corruption Strategy.

The Council of Ministers also urges the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina and managers of legislative institutions to use services of both the Centre for Education of Judges and Prosecutors of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina  and Public Institution Centre for Education of Judges and Prosecutors of Republika Srpska and start realising a strategic activity 3.1.1.2. “To use an analysis should serve as a basis for definition of proposals for more effective deterrence from acts of corruption” under the 2015-2019 Anti-Corruption Strat3egy Action Plan

The Ministry of Justice is responsible to provide the Information ot the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of Anti-Corruption Activities concerning the realisation of an activity 3.11.1 “To make an analysis of the Criminal Codes concerning the seriousness of sanctions for acts of corruption and of practice of prescribing thereof in the sense of an effective deterrence from acts of corruption” under the 2015-2019 Anti-Corruption Strategy Action Plan.

Based on data provided in the information, the Mministry of Justice will prepare a Report for the nert session of the Council of Ministers.

The 2015 European Commission Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina indicates that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made a certain level of preparedness for anti-corruption activities and that a progress has been achieved. However, the legal and institutional frameworks are still weak and inadequate, while a missing law implementation has a negative impact to both citizens and institutions.

 

The Council of Ministers considered and adopted Information on an additional public administration project within the IPA 2016 state programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Along with a project proposal - the Support to Public Sector Governance Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a constituent part of the IPA 2016 State Programme  for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Directorate for European Integrations will provide to the European Commission the new project proposal - the Support to Public Sector Governance Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a part of the whole revised annual package of IPA 2016 State Programme  for Bosnia and Herzegovina, accompanied by received letters of support.

 

REGULATIONS HARMONISATION WITH EU DIRECTIVE

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information on solution-finding in the area of protection of nutrition products, with marks of origin, geographic origin and of renowned   food in BIH, in order to achieve the functionality of the system.

The protection of nutrition products, with marks of origin, geographic origin and renowned standing of food in BIH is the subject of the European Commission recommendation for BIH institutions to harmonise their regulations with the EU Directive 1151/2012.

BIH may easily compete because of its diversified offer of domestic nutrition products and traditional specialities, but due to administrative unclearness, it has been unable thus far to start protecting its nutrition products, primarily in BIH itself, and also at the EU level, as prescribed and enabled under the European Union legislation.

The BIH Agency for Food Safety will up-date its resolutions as to the level of levy for registration of origin marks and geographic origin marks of food and authorising legal persons for marking origins and geographic origin of nutrition products, and will provide the up-dated resolution to the council of Ministers as early as possible.

The BIH Agency for Food Safety will draft and provide as urgent as possible to the Council of Ministers of BIH for consideration amendments and supplements of the Regulation on marks of origin and marks of geographic origin of food and Regulation on marks of traditional renowned food.

 

COOPERATION OF ALL-LEVEL AUHTORITIES IN BIH IN FOOD SAFETY

 

The Council of Ministers adopted a Report on state of affairs in food safety in BIH for year 2015.

The Agency for Food Safety will continue to cooperate with competent authorities in BIH, Federation of BIH, Republika Srpska, Brčko District of BIH and cantons, including with food control laboratories in the area of public healt, veterinary service, agriculture, and  private sector for collection and processing of laboratory analyses of food in BIH, epidemiologic data on diseases, transferred by food, and data on registered zoo pathology cases.

Competent inspection bodies in BIH, Federation of BIH, Republika Srpska, the Brčko District of BIH and of cantons will use the Report on laboratory results of food analyses, and on first incidents of zoo pathologies in Bosnia and Herzegovina in time between January-December 2015 for their development of control plans and official controls schedules, in order to make informed risk assessments.

 

DEPUTY MANAGERS OF BIH ARCHIVES APPOINTED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH appointed Šimun Novaković and Hadćija Hadćiabdić for Deputy Managers of the Archives of BIH for a four year term, based on an opinion of the Agency for Civil Service

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent for appointment of Colonel Philipe Delsol for a Defence Attaché of the Republic of France for BIH, with his seat in Belgrade.

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