Council of Ministers Holds Its 140th Session

IPA BIH STATE PROGRAMME 2018: MOST FUNDS FOR AGRICULTUE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information on the 2018 State IPA Programme for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the major funds from which should be directed for support to agriculture and rural development.

So, EUR 30 million of financial assistance should be earmarked to this area form the IPA 2018 package directly to agricultural producers and food operators and as a support to institutional and administrative capacity building of all relevant institutions responsible for food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary operations.

The environmental protection should get EUR 20 million for infrastructure operations in the area of waters and solid waste treatment and as a support to relevant EU directives implementation, in addition to EUR 10 million for demining.

These three areas drew about 70 per cent IPA 2018 funds, totalling EUR 77.8 million, for Bosnia and Hercegovina.

BIH Institutions proposal comprises of a list of 11 projects in the justice, interior, agriculture and rural development, environment, trade, demining, gender equality sectors, as well as support to participation in EU programmes, support to economic reforms and visibility of the European integrations. The value of the projects is about EUR 6 million higher than the available allocation for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Directorate for European Integrations of the Council of Ministers of BIH will provide the Proposal State IPA package for 2018 to the European Commission.

The European Commission holds right to make certain amendments in the project proposals, including the finances.

 

MIGRANT CRISIS: TO PREVENT ILLEGAL ENTRY AND PROVIDE DIGNIFIED MIGRANT ACCOMMODATION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH tasked the Coordination Body for Migrant Issues in Bosnia and Herzegovina to get activate in tis full capacity and take activities though tis Operative Staff, after the increase of number of illegal migrant entries to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The responsible BIH institutions will take measures, including intensified border crossings controls and prevention of illegal transport of migrants.

Migrants who have reached BIH will be provided assistance, so new locations for their accommodation will be looked for, so that might be take care of in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a humane and dignified manner.

All competent institutions in our country will take part in these activities, including the Institution of Ombudsman for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina and international human rights agencies.

 

TO PROVIDE LEGAL ASSITANCE TO BIH FOREIGN CURRENCY DEPOSIT SAVERS TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHT TO PAYMENT OF DEPOSIT SAVINGS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of Information on implementation of the European Court for Human Rights award in the case “Ališić and Others” and tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue monitoring the award implementation.

At the same time, the Ministry of foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice and Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees will jointly work to define the legal assistance modality to about 5,500 BIH deposit savers, who had to exercise their right to payment of their foreign currency deposit savings by using the internal Slovenian legal remedies, i.e. by reinstituting the process before the European Court for Human Rights.

This was concluded after the Council of Ministers of BIH learned that the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a resolution on termination of supervision over the implementation of the “Ališić and Others” award in its part pertaining to Slovenia, although BIH has started a debate on its premature adoption of the award which sets forth that Slovenia established an effective mechanism of the award implementation. Namely, the BIH position is that there remained an outstanding issue of payment to the deposit savers category who presented their claims towards the Ljubljanska Banka at a single account, but without using them in the privatisation process.

 

CoM SEEKS WAY TO ASSIST FINANCIALLY WATCHING THE WORKD FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

 

The Council of Ministers is committed to find a solution so that citizens might watch life coverage of matches at the World Football Championship, to star this June in Russia.

The Ministry of Communications and Transport will prepare information by the first next Council of Ministers session on modalities of help top the BHRT, which requested financial assistance worth KM 1 million for rights or monitoring the World Championship in Russia.

 

MORE THAN EUR 4.7 MILLION SWISS GRANT FOR WASTE WATERS PURIFICATION IN ZENICA

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Financial and Project Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Federal Ministry of finance, and City of Zenica, represented by the Mayor, on one side, and the KfW, Frankfurt am Main, on the other side, for EUR 4,750,000.00 for “Collection and Treatment of Waste Waters in Zenica”.

It is a grant by the Swiss Confederation, to be directed to BIH by way of the KfW for collection, transport and purification of community waste waters in Zenica. It will contribute to improvement of living conditions of citizens and environmental protection, especially the River Bosnia and its tributaries in Zenica and downstream.

The proposal Agreement with Platform for its conclusion will be sent to the BIH Presidency of, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BIH was proposed for the BIH signatory.

 

FINALISED PROJECTS UNDER CROSS-BORDER-TERRITORIAL COOPERATION IAP 2017-2018

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information by the Directorate for European Integrations on a progress in implementation of the Cross-border-territorial programme under IPA I and IPA II for 2017.

Completed were IPA programmes 2007-2013, namely, two transnational programmes (SEE) South-Eastern Europe and MED (Mediterranean), and IPA Adriatic programme of cross-border cooperation. Last year and early this year three bilateral programmes were completed with the neighbouring countries: Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

A progress was achieved in the implementation of six programmes of territorial cooperation within IPA II (2014-2020), in which Bosnia and Herzegovina participated. These two bilateral programmes, BIH – Montenegro and Serbia-BIH, and one trilateral, Croatia-BIH-Montenegro, in addition to three transnational: Adriatic-Ionian transnational programme (ADRION), Danube transnational programme, and Mediterranean transnational programme (MED).

These programmes were implemented through periodical public calls for submission of project proposals.

 

BIH AND FRANCE PROMOTE COOPERATION IN FILM INDUSTRY

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Republic of France in the area of cinematographic industry, which promote relations between the two states.

The conclusion of this bilateral agreement creates the legal framework for an intensified cooperation of BIH and French film makers and all stakeholders included in the cinematographic production.

The Proposal Agreement will be provided to the BIH presidency for further procedure, and the Minister of Civil Affairs was proposed as the BIH signatory.

 

TO IMPROVE CITIZENS AWARENESS OF EU ACCESSION PROCESS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Action Plan for implementation of a Communication Strategy for public information on the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the European Union for year 2018, prepared by the Directorate for European Integrations, in cooperation with other Council of Ministers institutions.

The ministries and other bodies of the Council of Ministers of BIH will conduct several tens of activities in publishing, on-line communication, research, and events advertising, so as to jointly enable more effective communication with diverse groups of public and improve citizen’s knowledge on BIH accession to the European Union.

Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina will in future in all their communication activities in the of European integrations process use a visual identity mark of the European integrations process, i.e. logo and moto “Embrace diversity”, to be provided to them by the Council of Ministers Directorate for European Integrations of BIH.

Last November, the Directorate for European Integrations informed the Council of Ministers of BIH selected, though a public competition, a visual identity mark of the European integrations process, which is a unique and dynamic process, and one of its main messages is “unity in diversity”.

The branding the European integrations process highlights an aspiration of Bosnia and Herzegovina for membership in the community of European countries and reminds to values of the European Union, with a simultaneous  intention to increase interest with BIH public.

 

POLICE AGENCIES MANAGERS WILL BE APPOINTED NEXT WEEK

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH will reflect at its next session on appointment of managers of police agencies in BIH, when the Ministry of Security, who was absent from this session, will be present.

 

CONSENT TO VOTE BY SLOVENIAN CITIZENS IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent for vote by citizens of the Republic of Slovenia on May 13, 2018, on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, regarding a repeated referendum on the Law on construction and management of the second railway trail Divača – Kopar in the Republic of Slovenia.

Citizens of Slovenia in BIH may vote in the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Sarajevo in time from 9.00 to 17.00.

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