Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 47th Session

BIH TO REGULARE ILLICIT FIRE ARMS PRODUCTION AND TRADING 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on marking small arms, light arms and accompanying ammunition by an “E“ mark, as a confirmation of harmonisation with the relevant  EU acquis.

Under this reform Law,  Bosnia and Herzegovina regulates the area and meets internationally taken obligations  in the area of illicit fire arms production and trade. The Law will enable easier and simplify tracing of arms trade, strengthen institutions in combating illicit arms trade, and secure a tighter cooperation with other states in the process of marked arms and ammunition tracing.

The Law prescribes, among other things, an obligation of arms or ammunition producers in BIH to mark arms during the production process by a simple production mark. Also, an obligation to importers is prescribed to secure placing the legally required marks to the arms within a legal deadline following needed customs procedure and before putting it to sale or use.

The Proposal Law passed the procedure of public consultations, which included competent Ministries and bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations will provide the Proposal Law to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH for consideration under a shortened procedure.

 

EURPEAN COMMISISON SECURES EUR 1.4 MILLION FOR BIH – SERBIA CROSS BORDER COOPERATION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement on financing the “Cross-Border Cooperation Activity Programme Serbia – Bosnia and Herzegovina for year 2014”, worth EUR 1.4 million

Under the Agreement between the European Commission and Serbia for financing the Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina Cross-Border Cooperation Activity Programme, the European Union would allocate a grant worth EUR 1.4, while EIR 247.’58 would be provided by grant beneficiaries.

The aim of the programme is to improve socio-economic development in cross-border areas between the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Beneficiaries might the local authorities, governments and their institutions, associations, municipalities, development agencies, organisations for support to local entrepreneurs, SMEs, NGOs, touristic and cultural associations, environmental protection concerned organisations and bodies, schools, colleges, faculties, research centres, including institutions for professional technical education.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury would provide the Proposal Agreement to the BIH Presidency for further procedure.

 

AMENDMENTS OF LAW ON CIVIL SERVICE 

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH will reflect on a Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Civil Service in BIH Institutions at its next session, after principles and suggestions defined at today’s session get incorporated into the text Draft Law. The aim of the Law is to secure more effective and accountable civil service.

 

ADDITIONAL EFFORTS REQUIRED FOR CENSUS RESULTS PUBLICATION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH urged the competent statistics institutions in BIH to take additional efforts and agree on publication of Census results, in compliance with the defined deadlines.

 

TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations-proposed National Implementation Plan (NIP) of the Stockholm Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina for protection of human and environmental health.

The aim of the Stockholm Conventions is to limit or ban the production, use, emission or import/export of highly toxic substances, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The Plan describes measures and activities needed to be implemented to the end of fulfilment of all Stockholm Convention stipulated obligations in BIH; further it defines implementing institutions, time span and projection of financial requirements. Activities will be directed towards the improvement of chemicals and waste management through a comprehensive POPs and chemicals related problem-solving.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has ratified the Stockholm Convention in 2010, thereby undertaking the obligation to fulfil Convention provisions, and became one among 178 country-members of the Convention, taking all stipulating rights and obligations.

From year 2015 on, the Convention totally regulates 25 chemicals (pesticides and industrial chemicals), including purposefully produced chemical components in industrial processes.

 

CoM SUPPORTS AMENDMENT REGULATIONS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE COMBATING CRIME AND CORRUPTION

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information on required amendments of laws and by-laws, in compliance with the BIH Constitution, so as to enable a more expedite fight against corruption and organised crime, and tasked the Ministry of Security to forward the Information to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH, in connection with realisation of a relevant conclusion of the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives.

The drafting of the Ministry of Security Information included the Ministry of Justice of BIH, High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BIH, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Corruption Action Coordination Agency, State Investigations and Protection Agency, Border Police of BIH, Directorate for BIH Police Bodies Coordination, Federal Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Interior of Republika Srpska and Brčko District of BIH Police.

These institutions recognised a need to amend legal regulations in the areas of criminal law procedure, corruption prevention and anti-corruption action coordination, conflict of interests in institutions in BIH, civil service and police officers activities in BIH Institutions, and in the area of political parties funding.

 

WORK GROUP APPOINTED TO ASSESS POSSIBILITY TO ABILISH CAR STICKERS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision, proposed by the Ministry of Communications and Transport, to appoint a Work Group to assess a possibility for abolishing car sticker and shifting to another methodology.

Chair of the Work Group will be Zoran Andrić of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, while members will be representatives of the Ministry and Identification Documents, Evidence and Data Exchange Agency of BIH.

The Work Group is to make an assessment of a possibility to abolish car stickers and transfer to another methodology, using the relevant experiences of the European Union and surrounding countries, and to report its results to the Council of Ministers.

The Council of Ministers took a decision to appoint Deputy Manager of the State Regulatory Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety Zoran Tešanović for a National Liaison Officer with the International Agency for Atomic Energy.

The Council of Ministers appointed prof. Enver Halilović for Manager of the High Education Development and Quality Insurance Agency as the best candidate after a public job vacancy ad procedure.

The Council of Ministers of BIH appointed for Acting Deputy Managers of the BIH Archives Šimun Novaković and Hadžija Hadžiabdić.

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