Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 62ndSession

TERRORISM IN TURKEY CONDEMNED 

The Council of Ministers of BIH sharply condemned a terrorist attack at the Kemal Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, in which several dozens of people were killed or injures, and it expressed its support to the Government of Turkey in combating terrorism.

The Council of Ministers of BIH concluded that the security of BIH citizens is a priority, emphasising the need for strengthening institutional capacities in Bosnia and Herzegovina for fight against the plague of terrorism, which is a global threat to peace.

 

BIH TO GET CLOSER TO EUROPEAN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PRINCIPLES

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on administration, more precisely defining certain provisions, subject to the needs of its operations, and it introduced an amendment, to secure a credible and high quality application of the piece of legislation.

The governing principles of the Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Administration are accountability, reliability, legal certainty, openness and transparency, while their implementation in practice will secure approximation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European principles of public administration and public governance.

The Amendmentsand Supplements to the Law will secure, among other things, a systematic application of the Law on civil service in BIH Institutions and in institutions working on a narrow specialist expert and other assignments, because instead of advisors, these responsibilities will be performed by managing civil servants. Also, a systematic approach is insured to the issue of special conditions for appointment of managers and deputy managers of administrative organisations in cases when special laws do not prescribe special conditions for their appointment. Also, technical mandate and appointment of acting position holders is limited to three months, with a possibility for another three month extension only in particularly justifiable cases.

The Ministry of justice will provide the proposal Law on amendments and Supplements to the Law on Administration to the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly for consideration under regular legislative procedure.

 

ACCESSES FOR HIGHWAYS AND ROADS CNSTRUCTION IN BIH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Accesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Proposal Law on Amendmentsand Supplements to Law on Payment to Single Account and Revenue Distribution and Proposal Law on Amendments of the Law on Indirect Taxation System in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Accesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina specifies accesses to oil and petroleum products, namely this provides for additional 10 pfennigs per litre of fuel for construction of highways and five pfennigs for construction of freeways and regional roads, and the funds will be paid to accounts of public companies Motorways and Roads in BIH. This would enable activate already concluded loan agreements with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

These Amendments are accompanied by Proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to Law on Payment to Single Account and Revenue Distribution and to Law on Amendments of the Law on Indirect Taxation System in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Managing Board of the Indirect Taxation Administration will adjust previous text Law with the agreements made at today’s session and will forward the proposal laws to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH for consideration under urgent procedure.

 

PREPARATIONS FOR PARIS SUMMIT

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Addendum Information of the Ministry of Communications and Transport on measures undertaken for pre4eparation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s delegation to take part at the up-coming Summit Western Balkans in Paris.

 

SALARIES POLICY IN BIH INSTITUTIONS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a policy of the Council of Ministers of BIH on limitation of public spending on salaries and emoluments of employees in BIH Institutions, thus realising a part of commitments from the Reform Agenda 2015-2018 and part of commitments from the Letter of Intent BIH authorities sent to the International Monetary Fund, as concerns competences of the Council of Ministers of BIH.

According to the policy, there will be no increases of baseline salaries in BIH Institutions, including increases of coefficients and emoluments zo employees, while mid-term plans will be developed for reduction of administration in BIH institutions, so that public administration might be more effective and simpler and less costly.

 

TO PREVENT SPREDING OF HARSH SKIN DISEASE FROM REGION TO BIH

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Veterinary Office on lumpy skin disease incidents in the region, after the disease appeared in countries of the region (Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Serbia).

The Veterinary Office informed the Council of Ministers of BIH on preventive measures undertaken for prevention of spreading of the disease to BIH.

The Council of Ministers tasked competent bodies in BIH, among which the Border Police of BIH and Indirect Taxation Office and urged the Entity Heath Ministries to step-up their activities, in order to prevent spreading of the disease to BIH.

The lumpy skin disease is one of the most dangerous virus diseases, in economic terms, suffered primarily by cattle of all age; it is not contagious for people, and is spread among cattle though vectors.

 

REPEATING OF TARIFF QUOTAS FOR SUGAR

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decisio0n, upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on repeating of quantities of tariff quotas in 2016, which refer to import of rude sugar made from sugar cane for refining.

Under the decision, as in previous years, quantity of tariff quotas of 50,000 tonnes is being repeated for use, by December 31, 2016, in facilities installed in BIH.

 

BIH ESTABLISAHES CLASSIFIED DATA SECURITY PRINCIPLES AND PROCEDURES WITH SPAIN

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Spain on exchange and mutual protection of classified data, thereby securing protection of classified data being exchanged or produced in the process of cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Kingdom of Spain.

The Ministry of Security will provide the Proposal Agreement to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, while the minister of Security was proposed for the BIH signatory.

 

PUBLIC RADIO-TV SERVICES NAD COMMERCIAL TV STATIONS FREED FROM PAYING LEVY FOR USING RADIOFREQUENCY SPECTRUM

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision, proposed by the Ministry of Communications and Transport on freeing from obligation of payment a levy for use fo radiofrequency spectrum.

Under the Decision, public radio-TV services and commercial ZV stations in Bosnia and Herzegovina are freed from paying levy for use of radiofrequency spectrum, until a shift from analogue to digital broadcasting of TV programme.

The Communication Regulatory Agency For is responsible for the realisation of the Decision.

 

BIH INSITTUTIONS ATTACHMENT HARMONISED WITH NEW REPORTING METHODOLOGY GOES FOR BRUSSELS

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted an Attachment of BUIH Institutions for the regular annual report for 2016 in English language, in accordance with requirements of a new reporting methodology.

Upon a proposal of the Directorate for European Integrations, Information on development of BIH Institutions Attachment for regular 2016 report was adopted priory, made as per requirements of new reporting methodology.

The new methodology shifts the European Commission reporting focus from the progress achieved in a reported year to country’s capacity development for fulfilment of the EU membership requirements in specific areas as a continuous aim. This year, the European Commission provided a list of control questions, identical for all countries in the accession process, and it applied new reporting methodology to the areas of freedom of movement of goods, competition, energy, transport, environmental protection, as well as certain elements of justice, freedom and security (migrations, asylum, borders and countering terrorism), including public administration reform.

 

ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR 2017 PROJECTED AT 3.5 %

 

The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information by the Directorate for Economic planning on prospects of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017-2019, which suggests that the due expected economic growth of BIH partners, coupled with continued internal reforms implementation, BIH economic growth in 2017 might reach 3.4 per cent.

Simultaneously, 3.7 per cent growth as projected for 2018, with a slight rate increase to reach the level of 3.8 in 2019.

With a higher growth and increased both domestic and foreign investments in 2017-2019 period of time, a higher level of use of capacities and increase of industrial production is expected to be as high as 5 per cent.

The Directorate predictions show that a more favourable surrounding, with strengthening of export growth and employment might lead in 2017 to a strengthening of private investments, for which a modest positive growth is expected, following year 2015, and further gradual strengthening by year 2019.

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