Press Releases
Council of Ministers of BIH Ends Its 167th and 168th Sessions
03/11/2019
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement on a drop of roaming prices in public mobile communication networks in the Western Balkans region.
The Proposal Agreement will be sent immediately to the BIH Presidency, and the Deputy Minister of Communications and Transport was proposed for the BIH signatory thereof.
The Agreement will be signed at the Digital Summit to be held in Belgrade in early April 2019.
The Agreement will take effect on July 1, 2019, thereafter the roaming prices in the region will be gradually decreasing, to be fully annulled by year 2021.
INTRODUCTION OF G4 NETWORK
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a resolution, upon a proposal by the Communications Regulatory Agency, on licences for use of radiofrequency spectrum for service provision though mobile access systems.
The resolution practically enables the introduction of G4 network in BIH, while mobile operators are obliged to improve their services, implying better services and coverage of territory and road communications in BIH.
The Communications Regulatory Agency issues licences to the existing licenced mobile operators in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 15 years period of time, and an operator should pay KM 17.5 million of levy in five equal annual instalments, starting from 2019.
The funds collected as such will be directed to development of transport and communications sector, and a concrete purpose of which will be establish by the Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BIH.
MIGRANT SITUATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a resolution proposed by the Ministry of Security on defining temporary accommodation centres for migrants, with accepted corrections made at the session.
The temporary accommodation centres for migrants are the following: ex-factory “Bira” and ex- student accommodation centre “Borići” in Bihać; ex-factory “Miral” in Velika Kladuša; and ex-hotel “Sedra” in Cazin.
The running of the temporary centres for migrant accommodation will pass to the the Service for Foreigners’ Affairs under the Ministry of Security of BIH.
The costs of operation of these centres, rent, setting-up, as well as hiring of a security agency is borne by the International Organisation for Migrations (IOM).
Earlier, the Council of Ministers took note of the Ministry of Security report on situation in the area of migrations in BIH concerning an increased number of migrants in BIH, which indicates at an increased entry of migrants in BIH in respect to the week before.
The session was informed that there currently more than 3,000 migrants in BIH, accommodated in the accommodation centres, all registered, which practically means that their biometrical data and finger prints were taken,
Since an intensification of migrant waves to Bosnia and Herzegovina are to be expected on the so-called Balkan-route towards the EU, additional police forces need to be engaged, as a support to the BIH Border Police, in order to step-up the Eastern border of BIH towards Serbia and Montenegro, from which direction the majority of migrants enter BIH. The aim is to prevent all illegal crossings towards the Eastern neighbours.
The Foreigners’ Affairs Service registered 1,616 illegal migrants, in time between January 1 and February 21, 2019. An intention to apply for asylum, was declared by 1,402 individuals, and 32 of them applied for it. The most migrants come from Pakistan 819.4 %), Iraq (15.1 %), Syria (14.6 %), Algeria (11.2 %), and Morocco (10.6 %).
EBRD IN SARAJEVO: CONNECTING ECONOMIES FOR STRONGER GROWTH OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
The Council of Ministers of BIH continues preparations for holding of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Board of Governors Annual Meeting, the greatest convention of that type ever, hosted by Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Other than the EBRD Board of Governors annual meeting, the event will include a business forum and donor convention.
It will feature a great investment conference on May 7 - 9 in Sarajevo, focused at connecting the economies for stronger growth of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
About 3,500 guests are expected to take part at the conference (about 2,000 high-level officials, governors and diplomats and 1.500 members of business communities) from 82 countries.
According to the initial estimates, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development plans to invest more than EUR 300 million to BIH for development of BIH economy.
In that regard, a decision was made to free from visa payment all participants of the EBRD Board of Governors Annual Meeting, coming from the countries with which BIH has visa regime, and a consent was granted for conclusion of an implementation agreement with the EBRD, the signatory of which will be BIH Governor in the EBRD Mirko Šarović.
BIH COUNCIL OF MINISTERS 2019 WORK PROGRAMME ADOPTED
The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Secretariat-General, adopted its 2019 Work Programme, focused at realisation of four priorities, namely, the European integrations, economic develo0pment, strengthening of rule of law, and international cooperation.
The improvement of bilateral relations with the neighbouring countries, based on a shared interest and principles of equality and mutual respect remains a priority in 2019, too. Development of good neighbourly relations, improvement of economic and strengthening of regional cooperation will be sough, in addition to cooperation in soling outstanding issues, with a constructive approach in regular bilateral and multilateral meetings.
Continuation of activates implementation as to BIH obligations towards NATO remain a priority of the BIH Institutions.
One among the most relevant aims is the BIH membership in the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The Work Programme was adopted with certain corrections and will be provided to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.
BIH TAKS PART IN SIX PROGRAMMES OF TERRITORIAL COOEPATION WITHIN IPA II
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Directorate for European Integrations on an implementation progress of territorial cooperation programme within IPA I and IPA II for 2018.
Within IPA II (2014-2020), Bosnia and Herzegovina participates with six territorial cooperation programmes; two bilateral are Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina - Serbia, and a trilateral programme is Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro, in addition to three transnational programmes: Adriatic - Ionian Transnational Programme (ADRION), Danube Transnational Programme and Mediterranean Transnational Programme (MED).
EXPORT TO EU HIGHER FOR OVER 10 %
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Analysis of Foreign Trade Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina for year 2018, which reads that the main features of 2018 were an increase of overall foreign trade and export increase.
The total goods exchange of BIH in 2018 was KM 31.17 billion, and the value of exported goods was KM 11.9 billion and of imported goods was KM 19.27 billion, with foreign trade deficit of KM 7.37 billion.
The European Union is still our major foreign trade partner, with 65.3% share in the foreign exchange volume, followed by CEFTA countries with 13.7 %, while the remaining countries account for 21 per cent. In relation to the year before, a growing trend of total foreign exchange with the EU was marked with 7.4 %.
The export to the EU made 73% of total BIH export in 2018, as increased for 10.3 %, and the increase of import was 5.3 %, while coverage of import by export in 2018 increased for 3.5 %.
The trade deficit with the EU countries was decreased for 7.1 %.
In the course of 2018, the export was mostly done to Germany (KM 1.74 bil.), Croatia (KM 1.46 bil.), Italy (KM 1.35 bil.), Serbia (KM 1.25 bil.), Slovenia (KM 1.06 bil.), Austria (KM 1.02 bil.), Montenegro (KM 401.45 mil.), and Turkey (KM 323.22 mil.).
PROLONGED TEMPORARY FINANCING
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision on Temporary Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and International Obligations of BIH for April-June 2019, in amount of KM 237.500.000.
The financing of multi-year projects, adopted within budgets of previous years, as well as special purpose programmes, will be continued from resources transferred in accordance with the Law on Financing of BIH Institutions, i.e. secured under special purpose donations.
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