Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 93rd Session

EUR 50 MIL. FOR NEW EMPLOYMNET IN BIH 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Loan Agreement for the Employment Support Project between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, worth EUR 50 million.

Out of these funds, EUR 29 million will be allocated to the federation of BIH, and EUR 21 million to Republika Srpska. The aim of the project is to increase employment in private sector of those unemployed who are registered and job seeking.

The realisation of the project is expected to secure jobs for 33 thousand easily employable people, among whom there are eight thousand young persons. The project aims to assist, primarily the young and vulnerable categories, in obtaining the skills required for work in the private employment sector. The project will help public employment services make better user profiles of active job seekers and will aid employers in contact making and labour market communication.

The loan repayment term is 32 years, including seven-year grace period, while the loan closing date is October 1, 2021.

The Proposal Agreement  with basics for its conclusion will be provided to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury was proposed as the BIH signatory.

 

 

ACTION PLAN ADOPTED FOR REALISATION OF EC BIH PROGRESS REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted, upon a proposal of the Directorate for European Integrations, an Action Plan for realisation of priorities from the BIH Progress Report by EC for 2016, with suggestions made at the session, thus making it an overarching state document with 734 measures to be implemented by competent State, Entity, cantonal and Brčko District institutions.

These measures should be implemented mainly by February 2018 in the areas of public administration reform, functional judiciary, combating corruption and organised crime, human rights and minority protection, freedom of expression, market economy, improvement of investment conditions, and tourism.

A considerable part of the package is directed towards the improvement of conditions for employment, better welfare and health care and development of the European standards in education and linking it with the labour market, as well as research and innovations capacity building.

The Action Plan has a high level of harmonisation, while the competent Ministries and other BIH administrative bodies will have to make additional consultations for 20 measures only, in order to harmonise them fully and implement.

 

LAST YEAR’S EXPORT INCREASED FOR 4.8%

 

“A Total volume of foreign trade exchange in 2016 was KM 25.55 billion, which is for KM 716.76 million or 2.89 per cent higher than the year before”, says an Analysis of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on foreign trade exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2016, which the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted at today’s session.

The gods imported last year were worth KM 16.14 billion, which is 1.81 % more than the year before, while the total export grew for 4.8 per cent and was KM 9.42 billion.

Trade deficit in 2016 was KM 6.72 billion, which was 2.07 per cent less than in 2015. The coverage of import by export last year was 58.35 per cent. the European Union is still our major foreign trade partner and in  total volume of goods exchange it participates with 65.18 per cent, followed by CEFTA 2006 countries-signatories, with 13.5 per cent share, while other countries participate with 21.32 per cent.

The export to the European Union accounts for 71.52 per cent of total BIH export, while import from the EU countries is 61.48 per cent of total BIH import.

Among major individual trade partners, the largest overage of of import by export is made with Austria (90.08 %), Germany (74.72 %), Slovenia (73.95 %), Italy (59.97 %), Turkey (56.65 %), Croatia (54.22 %), and Serbia (51.25 %).

 

INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT IN RISE IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers f BIH took note Information of the Directorate for Economic Planning on macroeconomic trends for January-December 2016, which suggests an increase of industrial production of 4.3 per cent relative to the year before.

Number of employees is increased for three per cent and was 738.4 thousand, which decreased the rate of registered unemployment in BIJ, which was 40.9 per cent, while in December 2016 number of registered unemployed dropped for 5.1 per net and was 510 thousand.

 

TO PROTECT DOMESTIC AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PRODUCTION

 

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations will continue its activities together with agriculture competent institutions and bodies in BIH to secure measures taking as needed to protect domestic production in agriculture and food industry, including the promotion of the relevant legal regulations.

This was indicted in a report of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on measures undertaken and implemented, aimed to improve conditions of foreign trade operations and support to domestic production in the area of agriculture and food production in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Ministry, in cooperation with competent institutions at State and Entity level, implemented a set of measures over the past period of time for securing and improvement of conditions for export of agricultural products of animal and herbal origin to the markets of the European Union and third countries, primary the Russian Federation and Republic of Tukey.

It further said that the adaptation of the SAA meant the liberalisation of BIH market, as well as an increase of export quotas for certain products from BIH. So, among other things, quotas for fish export were increased, namely for trout from 60 tonnes to 500 tonnes, carp the existing 60 tonnes quote was increased to 140 tonnes, while the export of 30 tonnes of bream and bass was increased from 16,000 hectolitres to 40,600 hectolitres. The existing quote for sugar was increased from 12,000 tonnes to 13,210 tonnes, while quotes for vine export from BIH to the EU under zero customs rate were made possible. A quick technical problem solving was announced to enable a smooth goods export, in accordance with the approved quotas.

 

IMPROVED YOUTH COOPERATION BETWEEN BIH AND AZERBAIJAN

 

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina on cooperation in the areas of youth and sports, under which the two states promote their bilateral cooperation.

The conclusion of the Agreement will contribute to strengthening of youth cooperation though youth organists and partnership building between sports organisation and their participation at sports events taking place in the two countries. The Proposal Agreement will be provided to the BIH Presidency, and Minister of Civil Affairs was proposed for the BIH signatory.

 

SUPPORT TO BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA’S CITIZENS ABROAD

 

The Council of Ministers of BH took a decision, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and with suggestion made at the session, on setting-up of a cross-section group for promotion of additional education of children of BIH emigrants, for the purpose of support to BIH citizens staying abroad in realisation of their rights.

The work group will coordinate activities of relevant institutions dealing with the issue of additional child education abroad, and it will continuously monitor the situation and make assessments of needs for additional child education of BIH emigrants.

 

CAPACITY BUILDING FOR SURVEILANCE AND RESPONSE TO AVIAYR AND PANDEMIC INFLUENZA

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, took a decision to a Coordination Unit for capacity building and response to aviary and pandemic influenza in Bosnia and Herzegovina project.

The Unit will make a full coordination of activities defined under the Project, it will communicate with the Centre for Control and Disease Prevention (CDC) and will cooperate closely with the Entity units responsible for the project implementation, as well as with competent bodies in the Brčko District of BIH and the Veterinary Office of BIH.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will publish a public call for filling of positions of project coordinator, his assistant and financial manager, as per CDC requirements.

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Minister of BIH took a decision on formation of the Project Steering Board, thus creating conditions for the implementation of an earlier endorsed project of capacity building and response to aviary and pandemic influenza in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2016-2021, worth USD 2 million, in terms of grant available for five years. The funds are intended for strengthening of a surveillance and response by national health institutions to aviary and pandemic influenza.

 

CERT DECRESES RISK FOR INVESTORS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision, with some corrections made at the session, on designating a Team for response to computer incidents for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Institutions (CERT) within the BIH Ministry of Security Sector for Informatics and Telecommunication Systems, in accordance with relevant recommendation of the EU and NATO.

So, the action-taking will be the preventive one, with strengthening of security and creation of conditions for timely reaction to unauthorised intrusion into information-communication systems of the BIH Institutions.

The establishment of CERT will improve considerably the picture of BIH and will decrease the risk to investors, since almost all investment processes and records are digitalised and connected to the Internet.

The decision will add to harmonisation of BIH regulations in the area and application of recommendations of the EU in fight against cyber-crime, which have ever growing negative effects to citizens, private and public institutions, to business and t the society as a whole.

 

CRITERIA FOR GRANT ALLOCATION FOR ACCOMODATION AND LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO HUMAN TRAFICKING VICTIMS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, took a decision on criteria for selection of one or more NGOs to be allocated funds from the current grant “Accommodation and Legal Assistance to Human Trafficking Victims” for 2017.

The decision contains criteria for selection of non-governmental organisation to provide for accommodation of foreigners, human trafficking victims, in accordance with the Law on Free-of-Charge Leal Assistance.

The criteria include, among other things, data on accommodation capacities of safe houses, on safe houses staff, kinds of services and security aspects of safe houses for accommodation of foreigners, human trafficking victims.

A Committee, to be appointed by the Minister of Security to consider applications arriving upon the call, will made a beneficiary rank list for the grant allocation, in total sum of KM 70,000.00.

The public call for funds allocation will be published in three daily papers and at the Ministry of Security web page.

 

TO CONTINUE ACTIVITIES ON AVIAN FLY SUPPRESSION IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH accepted Information on high pathogenic bird influenza in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and tasked the Veterinary Office of BIH to continue coordination of implementation of all needed measures for suppression and prevention of spreading of the influenza, and to report its activities to the Council of Ministers of BIH regularly.

 

TO IMPLEMENT ACTION PLAN FOR CREATION OF REGIONAL POWER MARKET

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of Information on an initiative the “Western Balkans 6”, and tasked the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations to define, together with its partners, the time framework for implementation of the related Action Plan and to engage actively on its implementation.

The Action Plan contains about 40 activities to be implemented jointly by BIH State and Entity competent bodies, in order to advance the capacities of institutional structures required for the functioning the regional power market, in accordance with a Contract on establishment of the Energy Community and relevant EU acquis.

The aim is to realise the Initiative in six countries of the region, members of the South-East European Energy Community on establishment of power market.

The implementation of the “Western Balkans 6” Initiative will improve directly the organisation of internal market of power in BIH, which will enable the buyers to dispose of better energy supply, simultaneously enabling domestic power utilities to place their surpluses to the countries of the region.

 

PROGRESS ACHIEVED IN IMPLEMENTATION OF GRECO RECCOMMENDATIONS

 

“Reforms are being continuously implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina and decisive actions are being taken for implementation of GRECO recommendations, and a considerable and tangible progress has been made in respect to implementation thereof though legal amendments as to fight against corruption and financing of political parties”, reads  Information on  additional report on compliance by Bosnia and Herzegovina of GRECO recommendations, adopted by the Council of Ministers of BIH.

The Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code of BIH was adopted, including relevant Entity laws, while Legislative Commission of the Brčko District of BIH adopted the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code of the Brčko District of BIH in end last year.

Also, the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on financing of political parties was adopted, and it incorporates certain GRECO recommendations, which made the law further improved.

 

TO SET FORTH URGENTLY INSPECTORATE COMPETENCES FOR OFFICIAL GM FOOD CONTROL

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted information on activities of the Food Safety Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina on establishment of a control system for access of genetically modified organisms in food and animal fodder in BIH.

The Food Safety Agency of BIH will prepare urgently a rulebook on supplements to the rulebook on official controls taking place for verification of procedures in accordance with regulations on food and animal fodder and regulations on health and well-being of animals, and will provide it to the Council of Ministers of BIH for adoption.

 

FORMED SUPERVISORY BODY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGY OF FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, to form a body for supervision of implementation of the Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina for prevention and fight against terrorism and the belonging action plans.

Representatives of State-level Ministries of Security and Defence, police and security agencies, and Entity Ministries of Interior and Brčko District of BIH Police were appointed into the cross-sector work group.

Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision to appoint Committee for Roma under the Council of Ministers o BIH, after the mandate of the previous Committee expired. The fourth Committee for Roma will include representatives of the competent BIH, Entity, Brčko District and Cantonal Institutions and Roma association for a four-year mandate.