Council of Ministers of Bosnia nad Herzegovina Holds Its 6th Session

COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF BIH ADOPTS ITS WORK PROGRAMME 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Work Programme of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2015, which envisages defining of over 60 proposal laws, adoption of over 160 by-laws and other legal regulations, conclusion of more than 125 international agreements, and consideration of over 280 European integrations-related items and other strategic areas.

The priority of the Council of Ministers of BIH is the fulfilment of obligations stemming from the Action Plan for implementation of the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement for joining the European Union, and the related programme activities include support to activities of the Directorate for European Integrations operations, including to the coordination mechanism document development team, under in the process of European integrations.

Law adoption in the areas of agriculture, nutrition and rural development in BIH, food and veterinary should ensure conditions for export of products of both herbal and animal origin to the EU market.

The Pubic Administration Reform Coordinator’s Office will, with stronger support of the Council of Ministers, continue reform of public administration, with planned adoption of revised strategic framework proposals for planned public administration reform implementation, says the Programme.

One among this year’s priorities there will be the strengthening of general security and legal protection of citizens, adoption of several laws and by-laws, and intensification of regional and international cooperation in combating all forms of organised crime, with a focus to anti-terrorist activities.

 

ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY 2015-2019 ADOPTED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon proposal of the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of anti-corruption activities in BIH, adopted unanimously an Anti-Corruption Strategy in 2015-2019 and Action Plan for its implementation.

The new Strategy and Action Plan are both adapted to peculiarities of the BIH constitutional arrangement, and it is without interference to constitutional competences of lower levels of authority, which provides for a basis for lower levels to develop their own anti-corruption strategies and harmonise them with general principles of the state-levels Strategy. State, Entity and NGO sector representatives took part in the Strategy development.

The Strategy contains five pillars of fostering the BIH Institutions’ institutional and legal framework, aiming at development, promotion and implementation of preventive anti-corruption measures in both public and private sectors, improvement of effectiveness and efficacy of judicial institutions and law enforcement bodies in anti-corruption activities,  awareness building and promotion of all-society involvement in anticorruption activities, as well as development of effective anti-corruption action coordination mechanisms and strategy implementation monitoring.

 

THREE DRAFT LAWS ON MILK EXPORT URGENTLY IN PROCEDURE

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on fulfilment of conditions for export of milk and dairy products to EU markets and welcomed considerable progress in the area, to come after many years of stalemate.

The Council of Ministers of BIH requested the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations to send three draft laws to adoption procedure urgently, namely, on food, on veterinary, and on agriculture, nutrition and rural development.

Creation of conditions for export of milk and dairy products to the EU market should solve the issue of export of domestic milk and dairy products to markets of the Republic of Turkey and Russian Federation, which was outstanding because of impossibility of road transport through the EU territory.

 

STATE COMMITTEE FOR INVESTMENTS ESTABLISHED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Directorate for European Integrations, took a resolution to set-up a State Committee for Investments, which will be chaired over by Chairman of the Council of Ministers dr Denis Zvizdić, while the Committee Co-Chairmen will be Minister of Finance and Treasury Vjekoslav Bevanda and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović. In addition to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and his Deputies, members of the State Committee for Investments will be state Ministers of Communications and Transport, of Civil Affairs and  Foreign Affairs, as well as Entity Prime Ministers and Major of the Brčko District.

The Directorate of European Integrations is tasked to prepare guidelines with action plan for introduction of a new methodology for implementation of infrastructural projects, in compliance with EU requirements connected to use of EU funds through “Connectivity Agenda of Western Balkan Countries”.

The body will deal with promotion of system planning of infrastructure investments and regulation of different sources of financing, activity coordination for preparation of priority infrastructure projects single list and final defining of priority infrastructure projects single list.

The State Committee for Investments will meet as appropriate and upon invitation of tis Chairman, and meetings will be may be by representatives of competent all-level BIH institutions, European Union, IFIs and bilateral donors in capacity of observers or rapporteurs, without right to vote.

 

CROATIA DENIES ALLEGATIONS ON SELECTION OF RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL SITE

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of a letter of Minister of Environment of the Republic of Croatia Mihael Zmajlović, denying allegations on development of a disposal site for radioactive waste in Trgovinska Gora, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Minister of Environment of the Republic of Croatia, in his response to a communication of Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović, said that Croatia has not selected location for disposal of radioactive waste, and that in selection of such site, it will take care of relevant international norms and interests of neighbouring counties.

 

COMPETENT MINISTRES TO REPORET ON ARRESTS IN RS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH tasked State Ministries of Security and for Human Rights and Refugees to prepare urgently reports on arrests made in Republika Srpska, from the security and human rights prospects, in order to prevent that these actions threaten return and  security of citizens.

 

CoM ON CRIMINAL CODE AMENDEMENTS AFTER TOMMORO’S JUSTICE MINISTERS MEETING

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH will consider a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after Ministers of Justice of BIH hold a meeting tomorrow, with a purpose to harmonise the piece of legislation within BIH and align it to international law and Moneyval Committee recommendations.

 

COUNCIL OF COMPETITITON OF BIH UNBLOCKED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH unblocked the work of the Council for Competition of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and appointed Maida Čampara for Chair of the Council for Competition, in a regular rotation procedure.

 

INFORMATION ON VACANT POSITION IN BIH INSTITUTIONS

 

The Council of Ministers od BIH tasked the Secretariat-General to prepare and provide to the Council of Ministers a consolidated information on positions of managing civil servants, whose mandates expired or are to expire soon, or whose positions are already vacant, so that the Council of Ministers of BIH might start procedures for public advertising of vacant posts.

 

HEALTH PROTECTION CAUSE FOR TIGHTER CORN IMPORT CONTROLS 

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Food Safety Agency of BIH, took a resolution on an increased number of official controls in corn importation for human nutrition.

The Resolution tightens official controls in order to prevent importers from registering forage corn as corn for human nutrition.

 

PROPOSAL PROTOCOL ON COOPERATION IN EDUCATION BETWEEN BIH ND TURKEY DEFINED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Protocol on Cooperation in Education between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of Turkey, which provides for exchange of experts, lecturers and students and development of partnerships between schools and institutions for the purpose of implementation of joint programmes and student activities.

Also, the two states will award scholarships each year for foreign language courses, university education and research, taking into consideration specialised areas and capacities.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs will provide the Proposal Protocol to the BIJ Presidency for further procedure, and Minister Adil Osmanović was proposed as the BIH signatory.

 

TO START PROCEDURE FOR CONCLUSION OF AGREEMENT ON ROAD TRANSPORT WITH AZERBAIJAN

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for Negotiations on an Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on international road transport of passengers and goods, which creates conditions for establishment of a regular line and part time passenger transport arrangements.

The Agreement is to be concluded for the purpose of development of road traffic, establishment of passenger transport between the two countries (bilateral and transit from/to third countries), and establishment of regular lines and part time passenger transport arrangements.

The Ministry of Communications and Transport will provide the Proposal Basics to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, and Minister Slavko Matanović was proposed as the BH signatory.

 

USD 19.5 MILLION FOR HOSPITALS IN MSOTAR AND KONJIC

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, and designated a delegation for negotiations on a Loan Agreement worth USD 19.5 million between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Saudi Fund for Development to finance projects ”Modernisation of Health Care Facilities in Herzegovina-Neretvanski Canton”.

The aim of the projects is to procure medical equipment for the General Hospital in Mostar, for Regional Medical Centre “Dr Safet Mujić –Mostar”, and for General Hospital in Konjic”.

The loan term is 25 years, including 5-year grace period with 2% annual interest rate; it is allocated to the Federation of BIH.

 

DESIGATION PROCEDURE DEFINED FOR POSTAL REPRESENTATIVES IN UNIVERSAL POSAL UNION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, took a resolution on procedures for designation of coordinator, correspondent and contact points of the Public Postal Operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina (JPO) for communication with the Universal Postal Union (UPU), which regulates the procedure for designation of representatives of all three public postal operators in BIH for cooperation with the Universal Postal Union.

Under the resolution, the Ministry of Communications and Transport takes decision on designation of JPO representatives for the annually rotational posts of coordinator and correspondent in UPU, to represent the BIH postal system.

 

ADIDITONAL INFORMATION ON ACCOMODATION OF INSTITUTIONS SOUGHT

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH returned a Proposal Information on status of solution-finding activity for accommodation of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the General Affairs Service to complement and turn it back within seven days to the Council of Ministers for consideration.

The General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions should fill the report by missing data, those being specified and sought in earlier conclusions of the Council of Ministers of BIH, and which refer to data on facilities in possession of the BIH Institutions, on office space rent paid by BIH Institutions, rental price, surface and quality of accommodation space. Also, information was sought on distribution of new office space to institutions in East Sarajevo, Tuzla, Banja Luka and Mostar, with data on surface, staff numbers, and comparative indicators in relation to their previous accommodation and its standard levels. Also, information needs to include all data in relation to purchase of facilities for accommodation of the BIH Institutions in Sarajevo.

 

ANNUAL CONSUMER POTECTION PROGRAMME AND STATE AGENCIES AND DIRECTORATES WORK PROGRAMMES ADOPTED

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted separate 2015 work programmes for the following institutions: Legislative Office of the Council of Ministers of BIH; Identification Documents, Evidence and Data Exchange  Agency; Institute for Accrediting; Foreign Investment Promotion Agency; Agency for Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education in BIH; Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies in BIH; Agency for Statistics of BIH; Anti-Doping Control Agency; Fund for Return; General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions; Insurance Agency of BIH; Centre for Information and Recognition of High Education Documents; Agency for Market Supervision of BIH; Institute for Intellectual Property of BIH; Public Procurement Agency; and Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers of BIH.

Also, the Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, took a decision on adoption of a State Annual Programme 2015 for Consumer Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, prepared by the Consumer Protection Council of BIH, aiming the improvement of quality of life of BIH citizens and harmonisation of the area with the EU legislation. This created a consumer protection policy, defined priorities and institutional measures to be implemented in the course of 2015.

(end)