Press Releases
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 3rd Session
04/15/2015
Vijeće ministara Bosne i Hercegovine
The Council of Ministers of BIH, which focused on European integrations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, defined a Proposal Framework Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Commission on arrangements for implementation of the financial assistance of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina within the Instrument of Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) II, which sets forth rules and conditions for use of the IPA II funds.
A conclusion of the Agreement between BIH and the European Commission creates conditions for use of IPA II funds, and its ratification will enable EUR 41 million intervention funds, from 2014 IPA II, to become operable, directed for removal of aftermaths of floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Framework Agreement to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Denis Zvizdić was proposed as the BIH signatory.
CoM LAUNCHES PEPARATION OF SECTOR PLAN DOCUMENTS
The Council of Ministers of BIH, adopted Information of the Directorate for European Integrations, together with complemented relevant proposals, on further programming of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA II) and on preparation of sector plan documents for IPA II programming activity, as precondition for preparation of annual State IPA programmes.
These are sector plan documents for justice and basic rights, law enforcement, and democracy and governance for 2015-2017. Their individual finalisation will be monitored by the State Ministries of Justice and Security, including by the Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Office, in cooperation with the Directorate for European Integrations and other constitutionally competent institutions in BIH.
Sector coordinating institutions should organise and coordinate activities of sector work groups for preparation of sector plan documents for IAP II programming.
Work groups will prepare individual sector plan documents for use of IPA II, within defined deadlines and subject to constitutional competences of all-level authorities in BIH and in compliance with plan and guidelines of the Directorate for European Integration.
EUR 165.8 MILLION FROM IPA II BY 2017
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information on the final version of an Indicative Strategic Document for IPA II for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2014-2017), which defines priorities of the EU financial assistance for support to BIH’s pre-accession process.
The Directorate for European Integrations should cooperate with competent institutions in BIH in continuing coordination of processes related to the use of IPA II, in compliance to the process dynamics and European Commission guidelines.
The total indicative amount projected for Bosnia and Herzegovina of IPA II funds until 2017 is EUR 165.8 million. Indicative annual allocations for the State programme for BIH for 2014 and 2015 are EUR 39.7 million each, for 2016 it is EUR 42.3 million, and for 2017 it is 43.7 million.
The reason for a reduction of IPA funds is in the stalemate of BIH European Integrations, non-existent coordination mechanism and lack of certain documents, as a new approach focuses assistance to sectors having prepared sector strategies and with sufficient sector preparedness.
The indicative strategic document will be revised in 2017, the time of planned revision of all beneficiary counties’ IPA II strategic documents, except for Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the revision may take place earlier upon an initiative of the European Commission.
EU PROGRAMME FOR FLOOD RECOVERY
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information on resources from IPA funds redirected for removal of floods aftermaths in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as prepared by the Directorate for European Integrations, in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and Treasury.
Funds in amount of EUR 42.25 million, reallocated from annual IPA allocations for 2011-2013, have been operative from August 15, and the related projects will be implemented by UNDP until October 2015.
The European Union Programme for flood recovery totals EUR 43.52 million, out of which IAP contribution is EUR 42.25 million.
The Programme envisages reconstruction of 4,000 residential units for socially and economically endangered citizens and 120 institution facilities (public schools, pre-school institutions, clinics and well-fare institutions), and reconstruction of community utilities (100 road and bridge communications and 10 water supply facilities at 50 sites), as well as support to economic recovery, which includes assistance to SMEs and agricultural producers. Also planned is a study on landslide flood risk, which should contribute to natural disaster risk reduction in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Following ratification of the Framework Agreement with the European Commission, intervention funds in amount of EUR 41 million from IPA II for 2014 will become operative, and those include special flood recovery measures and flood risk management. These funds include EUR 15 million from allocation for the State IPA 2014 programme for BIH, redirected to flood recovery assistance. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia are planned to receive EUR 10 million each from the multi-country IPA 2014 for flood prevention in the River Sava Basin.
Western Balkans Investment Framework funds intended for flood protection in amount of EUR 4.88 will be operative after adoption of a flood protection and water management action plan in BIH.
TO SECURE CONDITIONS FOR BIH INCLUSION INTO EU PROGRAMMES AND USER OUTREACH
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Directorate for European Integrations on participation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Union programmes 2007-2013, as well as on preparations for participation in the new round of programmes, EU 2014-2020.
Relevant Ministries should comply with EU programmes joining dynamics in securing human capacities and needed finances (budget and available IPA assistance) for BIH’s participation in EU programmes from their competences, and to take needed measures and activities to inform potential users on possibilities offered by BIH’s inclusion into specific programmes.
Ministries competent for specific EU programmes will cooperate with the Directorate for European Integrations within the IPA, to plan needed resources for the continuation of participation in the programmes in which BIH is a member, as well as in new programmes, compliant with international obligations stemming from singed and ratified memorandums with the EU.
The Directorate for European Integrations and Ministries competent for specific EU programmes will follow the dynamics of participation and joining EU programmes and undertake preparatory activities for BIH’s participation in the new round of EU programmes 2014-2020.
Within the new round of EU programmes, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined, in 2014, to the following programmes: Erasmus + (partial participation), Long-Life Learning, Youth in Action, Tempus and Erasmus Mundus, Horizon 2020 (follow-up of FP7), Creative Europe (follow-up of Culture and Media), while joining to Europe for Citizens is expected to take place.
Joining-related activities are ongoing for the COSME programme (SMEs Programme) and Fiscalis 2020, and Bosnia and Herzegovina showed tis interest to join Heath for Development programme and Consumers programme.
READINESS FOR SOLUTION-FINDING TO AMENDMETNS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO CRIMINAL CODE OF BIH
The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of a conclusion from the 3rd session of the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly House of Peoples regarding a discussion on a Collegium Committee report on efforts to reach agreement on a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code of BIH.
The Council of Ministers tasked Ministries of Justice and Security to hold consultations with representatives of Clubs of Deputies in the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly in order to find acceptable solutions to amendments and supplements to the Criminal Code of BIH, having regard of requests from relevant international institutions.
Ministries of Justice and Security will provide to the Council of Ministers a proposal new decision on composition of BIH delegation in the MONEYVAL.
The Ministry of Justice, together with Ministry of Security, will report its activities to the Council of Ministers, and will provide appropriate solution proposal.
CoM SEEKS INFORMATION ON ACCOMODATION OF BIH INSTITUTIONS
The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of a conclusion form the 6th session of the BIH parliamentarian Assembly Committee for Finances and Budget, of April 7, 2015, concerning the issue of accommodation of the Audit Office of BIH Institutions.
The General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions is tasked to provide comprehensive information as soon as possible on accommodation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s institutions, to contain data on buildings in possession of BIH Institutions, on BIH institutions paying rent for accommodation and rent price and size of accommodation premises with standards for staff accommodation.
ACTIVITIES FOR ENSURING DISTRICT HEATING TO GENERAL NATIONAL MUSEUM
The Council of Ministers of BIH considered a report of the Ministry of Civil Affairs concerning a request of the General National Museum for ensuring district heating for the next heating season.
The General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions should consider the issue thoroughly, and based on previous experiences and technical parameters it should evaluate annual-seasonal spending of heat energy and annual cost of the service, and considering these indicators and taking care of an opinion of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, define required finances in the BIH Institutions budget for the purposes for heating of the General National Museum.
The General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions will report the Council of Ministers of BIH on tis activities concerning this matter.
SUB-COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMY AND FINANCES TO MEET IN EARLY MAY
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a report of the Directorate for European Integrations on holding of 7th meeting of the Economy, Finances and Statistics Sub-Committee on May 4-5, 2015 in Brussels.
The Council of Minsters granted its consent for the proposed agenda and composition of BIH delegation and adopted Discussion paper, which institutions’ representatives ought to comply with in their individual presentations.
The directorate for European Integrations will provide the Discussion paper with list of BIH delegation members to the European Commission by April 20.
The topics of the meeting will be the economic aspect of pre-accession process, fiscal and monetary issues and plans in BIH, balance of payments, progressing towards functional market economy, structural reforms targeting competitiveness and production capacities improvement, public internal financial control, external audit and cooperation in statistics.
BIH PREPARES BIH INSTITUTIONS CONTRIBUTION TO ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a report of the Directorate for European Integrations on preparation of a contribution of BIH to regular annual progress report for BIH in the European integrations process in 2015, and tasked relevant institutions in BIH to provide to the Directorate for European Integrations, within defined deadlines, relevant information of progress achieved in the reported period of time.
The Directorate for European Integrations is tasked to compile contributions of BIH institutions, taking care of the EC reporting guidelines in European integrations process, taking due care of the deadlines and limitation for number of pages.
The Directorate for European Integrations should make consultations with the European Commission and EU Delegation in BIH concerning a new reporting methodology within the 2015 enlargement package.
The Directorate for European Integrations should cooperate with competent institutions in BIH in development of supplements to the Contribution, in order to apply the new reporting methodology for areas listed in its report.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to provide the contribution of institutions for regular annual progress report to the European Commission by May 5, 2015, while supplement contributions of institutions should be received by September 1, 2015.
CONSENT FOR VOTE OF TURKISH AND POLISH CITIZENS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent for vote of citizens of the Republic of Turkey in the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Sarajevo, on May 30 and 31, 2015 from 10.00 to 19.00 hrs at the general elections in the Republic of Turkey. Also, at the presidential elections in Poland, consent was granted for vote of Polish citizens in the premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Sarajevo, on May 10, between 7.00 and 21.00 hrs.
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