Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 73rd Session

EXPORT IN FIRST HALF YEAR INDRESED FOR KM 127 MILLION 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an analysis prepared by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s foreign exchange for the first half of year 2016, which indicates further growth of export and fall of trade deficit, in relation to the same period of time last year.

In the first six months of this year, the total exchange of good of BIH was KM 12.22 billion, which is for KM 184.9 million more than in the same period last year. The imported goods were valued at KM 7.71 billion, which is for 0.75 more than last year, while the total export was KM 4.51 billion, as grown for KM 127.27 million or 29 per cent. The trade deficit in the reported period was KM 3.20 billion, and is less for KM 69 million, in relation the last year.

According to the analysis, the European Union is still the major foreign trade partner of BIH, and in total volume of goods exchange it participates with 66.28 per cent, followed by “CEFTA 2006” Agreement countries-signatories with 13.04 per cent, which all resulted in a decrease of the trade deficit with the EU of 4.4 per cent, since the export surpassed the import.

The export of industrial products in the first six months of this year increased for 2.1 per cent, in relation to the same period last year, while the import of these products increased for 0.4 per cent, which resulted in deficit decrease for 3 per cent. Simultaneously, the same period of time saw an increase of export of agricultural products for 12.83 per cent.

From among main trade partners, the major coverage of import by export is registered with Austria, Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, Italy, Turkey and Serbia.

In the first half if 2016, BIH exported mainly to Germany, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Serbia, Turkey, Montenegro, Hungary and Netherlands, and such imports accounts for 74.7 per cent of total export. The major import was form Germany, Italy, Serbia, Croatia, China, Slovenia, Turkey, Russia, Austria and Poland, and in the January-June 2016 time, the import from these countries participated with 72.1 per cent in total BIH import.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations will draft a specific information on goods exchange with the “CEFTA 2006” countries, with recommendations and measures for the promotion of BIH export.

 

TREE FOOD REGULATIONS HARMONISED WITH ACQUIS: IMPROVED CONSUMER PROTECTION AND REMOVAL OF TRADE BARRIERS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took individual regulations, upon a proposal of the BIH Agency for Food Safety, on amendments and supplements of three regulations, which address the safety and improvement of food quality, further to harmonising them with the EU acquis.

Specifically these are amendments and supplements to the Regulation on Food Microbiologic Criteria, amendments and supplements to the Regulation on Olive Oil Market Standards, and on amendments and supplements to the Regulation on Maximum Allowed Contaminants in Food, having mark “E”, as a confirmation of compliance with the relevant EU regulations.

This way, BIH will have the relevant regulations harmonised with the acquis, which would allow domestic producers to enjoy an equal market treatment.

The purpose of these regulation is to protect consumers and enable them to make a choice as to food they consume, in addition to producer protection in terms of the removal of trade barriers.

 

 

 

AGREEMENT IMPLEMENTATION DEADLINE MATCHED WITH NEW USAID DEVELOPMENT STRATEY IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers if BIH accepted a proposal of the first Amendment of the Agreement on Grant Funds for Development Aims between the Government of the United States if America, represented by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Council of Ministers of BIH, represented by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and authorised the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees for the signing.

Tis would prolong the deadline for the Agreement implementation from September 30, 2018 to December 31, 2021, due to the harmonisation of the implementation dynamics with a new USAID Development Strategy for BIH, and the Agency’s cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina in time span 2017-2021.

The 2015 Agreement with the USAID is worth USD 1,750,000, and the grant provided under it was extended for the purpose of creating more functional and accountable stakeholder institutions, working in the citizens’ interest.

The funds were intended for the improvement of the BIH Agency for Gender Equality capacities, targeting gender-based violence, as well as for the capacity improvement of the local humanities researchers for the needs of conducting independent and contemporary research in the area of humanities, human rights, in particular.

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