The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendment of the Law on Civil service in the BIH Institutions, which the Ministry of Justice will provide to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.
The Amendment Law calls for a deletion of a provision concerning a requirement for employment of a civil servants being the termination of a legal consequence of verified court verdict for domestic violence, in accordance with valid criminal laws.
The Amendment of this Law stemmed from a recommendation of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of BIH, seeking its deletion for the reason of its discriminatory nature and inconsistence with the relevant legislation and the BIH Constitution.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Law on Amendment of the Law on Single Identification Number, aiming the implementation of a relevant Ruling of the BIH Constitutional Court. The Ministry of Civil Affairs will provide the Proposal Law to the Parliamentarian Assembly of BIH.
This Amendment will harmonise Article 50 of the Law on Single Identification Number with the BIH Constitution. In this way, registration sections will be adjusted in Republika Srpska, the territorial organisation within BIH.
On May 25, 2011, the Constitutional Court of BIH accepted a request by 76 deputies of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska for harmonisation of this Law with the BIH Constitution, and ordered the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly to report the implementation of the Ruling to the BIH Constitutional Court, six months after its publication.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Loan Agreement (“Banja Luka University Modernisation Project”) between Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, and the Raffaisen Bank International AG, with basics for its conclusion. The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Agreement to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Nikola Špirić Minister of Finance and Treasury is proposed as the signatory.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide to the Council of Ministers a review of guarantee-related liabilities of BIH.
It is about a loan worth EUR 6,000,000.00 for provision of equipment and expert services, with 18 years repayment term and 5.5 years grace period; annual interest rate is 0.40 per cent.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for negotiations for conclusion of an Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Croatia on Cross-Border Traffic, and the Proposal will provided to the Presidency of BIH by the Ministry of Security.
According to the Agreement, the population in the border area will, in accordance to the cross-border regime, on crossing the joint border crossing present a cross border pass, in addition to a condition of not being a threat to public order and internal security, public health or international relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia or any other EU member country.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for negotiations for conclusion of a Protocol between the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Croatia on cooperation in the area of forensic investigations, and Proposal Basics for conclusion of a Protocol between the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia on cooperation in the area of forensic investigations. The Ministry of Security will provide the Proposal Basics to the Presidency for further procedure.
Conclusion of these protocols will contribute to the exchange of expert experiences needed for establishment and operation of various segments of forensic activities.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for negotiati0ns for conclusion of an Agreement between the Council of Ministers of BIH and Government of the Russian Federation on mutual passenger travels. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will provide the Proposal basics to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Zlatko Lagumdžija Minister of Foreign Affairs is proposed as the signatory.
With the conclusion of a new Agreement, BIH and Russian citizens will be enabled a visa free entry, transit and stay in the territory of other state for a period not longer than 30 days, and they will not have to obtain invitation letters or touristic vouchers for border crossing.
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined Proposal Basics for negotiations for conclusion of a Financing Agreement – Technical Assistance for Corridor V c in BIH (Technical Assistance within the Western Balkans Investment Framework) between the European Investment Banka and Bosnia and Herzegovina and Public Company Motorways of FBIH, Ltd. Mostar, that the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide to the Presidency of BIH for further procedure, and Nkola Šprić Minister of Finance and Treasury is proposed for the signatory.
The aim of this project is to expedite implementation of the Corridor V c project. It is about EUR 2,000,000.00 EIB grant allocated to the Federation of BIH.
The Council of Ministers of BIH took an initiative and designated a negotiating delegation for conclusion of a Grant Contact for Loan to the Public Company “Motorways of Republika Srpska”, Ltd. between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for Banja Luka – Doboj section, Phase 1.
The aim of the Projects is construction of a 37 km long section between Doboj and Prnjavor of Banja Luka – Doboj motorway, including 23 km of local roads.
The EBRD lends EUR 150 million to the Public Company “Motorways of Republika Srpska” for the implementation of this project, with a guarantee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and sub-guarantee of Republika Srpska, to which this loan is allocated. The loan term is 15 years, with three years of grace period and the EURIBOR interest.
Following negotiations, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will prepare and provide a Draft Agreement to the Presidency of BIH, in accordance with the Law on Borrowing, debt and guarantees of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision to adopt the Framework Policy of Promotion of Early Growth and Development of Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the creation of conditions in which every child will be enabled to develop its potentials in a full capacity, within the environment of happy childhood and healthy family.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs is recommended to undertake activities, in cooperation with competent Entity and other sector institutions for development of a strategy in this area.
The Framework Policy was developed as a result of multi-year cooperation and experience of the Council of Ministers of BIH, Government of the Federation of BIH, Government of Republika Srpska, Government of the Brčko District of BIH, and UNICEF in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision to adopt a Strategy of Entrepreneurship Learning within Bosnia and Herzegovina’s education system in 2012-2015, with an Implementation Action Plan as a framework for future three year activities for all institutions and agencies as main stakeholders in the introduction of entrepreneurship in all level education in BIH.
The Strategy supports the introduction of entrepreneurship learning into the existing subjects within curriculum at all level of life-long learning.
The Strategy’s end beneficiaries are young people from all Bosnia and Herzegovina, lecturers, parents, education institutions, as well as entrepreneurs and their employees.
The Council of Ministers of BIH returned for improvement Information on activities of the Division for review of decisions on naturalisation of foreign citizens in time from April 6, 1992 to January 1, 2006, and tasked the Ministry of Civil Affairs to prepare a new information and relevant provisions for amendment of the Law on citizenship of BIH, in order to enable further activities of the Ministry of Civil Affairs concerning the review and determination of the status of naturalised citizens.
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Information of the Ministry of Security on visitingBorder-crossings Klek-Neum, Zaton Doli-Neum 2 and Biajča – Pozla Gora.
The Council of Ministers of BIH recommends to the Government of the Federation of BIH to task the Public Company Motorways of FBIH to sign an Annex to Contract with the existing developer on Kravice-Zvirići section of the Corridor V c, in order to shorten the time for works and meet the deadlines for their completion.
The Indirect Taxation Administration is in charge to prepare, together with the Ministry of Transport and Communications, a report on the status of two “Brussels“ border-crossings, Gradiška and Bijača, for the next CoM session, which would include financial projections for BiH’s meeting the deadlines for the beginning of their operation.
The information says the two counties’ legations visited the border-crossings and concluded that the construction of border-crossings at Klek-Neum and Neum 2-Zaton Doli (as joint site) undergoes as planned, and the Croatian delegation said that both border-crossings will be constructed by June 2012.
Croatia will establish an inspection border-crossing at Bijača-Pozla Gora site, by January 2013, at latest, while BIH is supposed to make its border-crossing operational for at least provisional control by that time.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Security, the Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Regulation on keeping and destroying confiscated narcotics, psychotropic matters, herbs and precursors, under which a single and transparent system of keeping of confiscated narcotics and their destruction is lifted to a higher level.
Funds for implementation of this Regulation will be provided for in the 2012 Budget, and the Ministry of Security is in charge to prepare Amendments to the Law on Prevention and Suppression of Misuse of Narcotics, in a part pertaining to a need for a change of an institution in charge to keep evidence of destroyed narcotics.
According to the Regulation, destruction of narcotics and other controlled substances will be conducted based on a competent court order before the Council of Ministers designated five-member Committee for destruction of confiscated narcotics, psychotropic matters, herbs and precursors.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, the Council of Ministers of BIH, adopted a Regulation on monitoring programme implementation for avian fly with poultry and wilds birds, which provides, inter alia, that the Veterinary Office of BIH, in cooperation with competent Entity institutions, report expeditiously on increased death tools to diseases of both domestic and wild birds, especially wild aquatic birds.
Also, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a Regulation on control measures for animals susceptible to blue tongue disease, as proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, aiming at the harmonisation of this area with the appropriate EU directives and improvement of animal health.
The Council of Ministers of BIH granted its consent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for leasing the building of the BIH Embassy in Ottawa to the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia, to July 31, 2012.
In this way, the Council of Ministers of BIH responded positively to a request of the Republic of Serbia, which will pay the rent at the level of the rent the BIH Embassy in Ottawa pays for rental of its current Embassy premises, based on a Rental Contract that cannot be terminated until September 30, 2012.
In accordance with the Agreement on Succession Issues of Former Yugoslavia, the building of former Yugoslav Embassy in Ottawa belongs to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the handover process was completed in 2011.
Referring to a conclusion from the 86th session of the Council of Ministers of May 7, 2009, took in connection of a position of the presidency of BIH on the issue of legality of documents of the citizens of Kosovo, the Council of Ministers of BIH authorised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (with its diplomatic-consular network) to accept visa applications of Kosovo citizens, assess their justifiability and, in emergency cases, as appropriate, issue visas on a separate sheet for persons referred to in relevant application for the required period of time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is obliged to report the Council of Ministers of BIH periodically on visa issuance.
The issue of freedom of movement would be dealt with more smoothly and application processing for visa issuance for Kosovo citizens would be harmonised with the practice of EU countries not recognising Kosovo as an independent state.
Also, the Council of Ministers of BIH would be released from an obligation to decide on each application individually, as it has been a practice to date.
Upon a proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a regulation on conditions of import and export of live animals, raw materials and products and by-products of animal origin, veterinary medicines and animal food to Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the reason of simplification of certain import procedures and their harmonisation with the new customs tariffs from 2012.
In order to make Budget savings and in regard to a decrease of market rental prices, the Council of Ministers of BIH took a tentative conclusion requiring all institutions renting their office space to find a way to decrease their rental expenses, expecting the savings to range up to 30% in relation to the pervious rental expenditure levels.
It was concluded that contracts should be prepared with Entities and Cantons for renting office space to BIH institutions for free, all with the aim at Budget savings.
The General Affairs Service of BIH Institutions is in charge to make an analysis on office rentals, in cooperation with BIH institutions renting their office space, and to submit it to the Council of Ministers of BIH.
(end)
