Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 133rd Session
02/15/2018
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted unanimously answers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 3,242 questions from the European Union Questionnaire required for drafting an opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s application to membership in the European Union – process of getting the candidate status. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Dr Denis Zvizdić will informed the BIH Presidency of the adopted answers.
Over 20 thousand pages of answers to prepared to be sent to Brussels together with more than 1,100 legal documents (laws, by-laws and other materials), referred to in answers, and which represents the completion of the most complex effort at the process of accession to the European Union thus far. It is the most demanding job in our country in the last decade.
The session commended the engagement of more than 1,200 civil servants at all level of government in BIH and contribution of the Directorate for European Integration, who organised the preparation of answers in 35 groups, with 15 members of the Committee for European Integrations included, in addition to 20 members of the Collegium for European Integrations.
The answering process to the EC Questionnaire included, other than authorities in our country, civil society organisations and citizens.
CONSIDERED DRAFT LAW ON AMENEDMENTS AND SUPPLELEMNT TO THE LAW ON FINANCING OF BIH INSTITUTIONS
The Council of Ministers of BIH considered a Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on which it would reflect at some of sessions to follow, after technical suggestions for the improvement of text law get incorporated, to be provided to the Ministry of Finance and Treasury in written form in 10 day time.
DRAFT LAW ON AMENDMENT OF LAW ON INTELLIGENCE-SECURITY AGENCY
The Council of Ministers of BIH postponed consideration of a Draft Law on Amendments of the Law on Intelligence Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, due to justifiable absence of the Ministry of Security form the session.
TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY FOR ABOUT 250,000 CITIZENS IN FIVE MUNICIPALITIES IN FBIH
The Council of Ministers defined a Proposal Framework agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Development Bank of the council of Europe for financing the “Blue Water” – regional water supply project, worth EUR 11 million.
The development of regional water pipeline will secure high quality solution for improvement water supply and sustainable use of he “Blue Water” source, which would provide for health safe water for about 250,000 citizens in five municipalities in the Federation of BIH, namely in Travnik,, Novoi Travnik, Vitez, Busovača, and Zenica.
The Proposal Framework Agreement with basics for its conclusion will be provided to the BIH Presidency, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury was proposed as the BIH signatory.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT OF CARGO AND PASSENGERS OF BBIH AND NORWAY
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Basics for negotiations on an Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of the Kingdom of Norway on international road transport of passengers and cargo.
The Agreement creates legal preconditions for regulating the area of international transport of passengers and cargo, in compliance to international standards.
The Proposal Basics will be provided to the BIH Presidency, and the Minister of Communications and Transport was proposed as the BIH signatory.
REGULATION ON NUTRITION ADDITIVES HARMONISED WITH EU LEGISLATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH took, upon a proposal of the Food Safety Agency of BIH, a regulation on nutrition additives with “EI” mark, as a confirmation of appropriate harmonisation with the relevant European Union legislation.
The Regulation prescribed the allowed limits of use and other requirements for nutrition additives used in food for the reason of securing, among other things, effective market operation, high level of health protection and protection of the best consumer interest.
MIGRANT CRIRIS
The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of the current situation as to the increase of number of illegal entering of migrants to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Ministry of Security, in cooperation with the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees and Ministry of foreign Affairs and other responsible institutions, is tasked to prepare a comprehensive information as soon as possible, with proposal measures for the responsible institutions to implement in short time. The aim is to stop illegal permeability with our Eastern neighbours, and provide timely information to migrants on actual capacities for their accommodation. Migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina must be taken care of in a humane and civilised way, concluded the session.
Previously, the Council of Ministers of BIH took note of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as to a conclusion of the Council of Ministers from tis 23rd session of September 15, 2015, on migrant crisis.
It as a regular report on positions of key European Union institutions concerning the migrant crisis. Information covers key messages form a meeting of the European Council, Summit of European and African Union, European Parliament and Council of European Union for General Affairs, held in November and December 2017.
INCUMBENT COUNCIL OF MINISTERS DEFINED 82 LAWS
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined 78 proposal and four draft laws, of which 74 were sent to the parliamentarian procedure, in the time period from April 1, 2014 to February 6, 2018.
The Parliamentarian Assembly adopted 38 laws, published in the “Official Gazette of BIH”, 24 proposal laws were not adopted, they were either rejected or the related legislative procedure was stopped, while a number of laws are in the parliamentarian procedure.
This was said in a Review of legal acts defined by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sent to parliamentarian procedure during its term from April 1, 2014 to February 6, 2018, prepared by the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers of BIH.
CONSENT FOR VOTE BY RUSSIAN CITIZENS AT PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
The Council of Ministers, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, granted its consent for vote by citizens of the Russian Federation, on March 18, 2018, and advance balloting vote on March 16, 2018 at the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the occasion of holding of the presidential elections in the Russian Federation.
The vote will be held in the premises of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Sarajevo, on March 18, 2018, from 9.00 to 20.00 hrs, and the advance balloting will be held on March 16, 2018 from 10.00 to 17.00 hrs in the Optima Group Company building in Banja Luka.
TWO MEMBERS APPOINTED TO COMMITTEE FOR SELECTION OF MANAGER OF GENERAL AFFAIRS SERVICE
The Council of Ministers of BIH appointed two members of the committee for selection of Manager of the General Affairs Service of the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a response to a request of the Agency for Civil Service of BIH, which will appoint a committee for selection and start the job vacancy procedure, after the deadline for applying to the public job vacancy note expired last November.
SELECTION OF NEW OMBUDSMAN
The Council of Ministers of BIH, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, took a decision on criteria for selection and appointment of Ombudsman for Consumer Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it took a decision on appointing members to the Committee for job vacancy procedure and selection and appointment of Ombudsman for Consumer Protection in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
That created conditions for job vacancy procedure for selection of a new Ombudsman, since the previous one’s mandate expired.
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