Sjednice
Council of Ministers of BIH Holds Its 33rd Session
04/15/2021
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a proposal Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Excises in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be provided to the Parliamentarian Assembly for consideration under a regular legislative procedure.
The aim of the proposed law is to equalise the generation of obligation of excises tax payment for tax payers trading in tobacco products with tax payers trading with other excise goods.
The amendments and supplements to the Law define a generation of an excise tax obligation, which means that in practice it will be paid on the product first trade or import.
According to the existing law, the excise tax on tobacco products is to be paid on taking-up excise stamps, while with other excise products it is to be paid on the product first trade or import. It practically implied that the excise tax to tobacco products should have to be paid even a few months before the product import or marketing.
EUR 2 MILLION WBIF FOR CORRIDOR V c SUB-SECTION POČITELJ-ZVIROVIĆI
The Council of Ministers defined a Proposal Grant Agreement on Technical Assistance between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Public Company Motorways of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ltd. Mostar and the European Investment Bank (EIB) for consultancy services in supervision of works on construction of the Corridor V c Sub-Section Počitelj-Zvirović (WB19.bih-tra-01).
It is a WBIF grant – EUR 2 million contribution of the European Union - to be implemented through the EIB, for financing of implementation project for 11.1 km long Počitelj-Zvirovići sub-section on the Corridor V c. The Implementation project is a guideline for a new application for technical assistance in works supervision, worth EUR 5 million.
The construction of the sub-section, with raising of safety and capacity of road, will shorten a road distance for five km along the North-South corridor between Počitelj and South border with Croatia. With travel time saving for about 40%, while decreased will be also traffic accidents and air pollution.
The total value of the Project is EUR 124.159.006 , of which the EIB loan is EUR 100 million, WBIF grant is EUR 5 million, own contribution is EUR 17,159, in addition to EUR 2 million WBIF grant, as the European Union contribution.
The Proposal Agreement with Platform for its conclusion, will be provided to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury was proposed of the HIH signatory.
FR GERMANY GRANTS 6.5 MILLION PROTECTIVE MASKS
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on taking-up and distribution of protective masks granted by the Federal Republic of Germany, as a support to response efforts to Covid-19 pandemics.
The Federal Republic of Germany will grant 6.500.000 protective masks (masks for filtration of particles and surgical masks), via the Federal Ministry of Heath, to Bosnia and Herzegovina, worth total EUR 4.410.000, as a support to containing Covid-19 pandemics.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs is responsible for signing a declaration on grant in goods, and taking-up and distribution of the grant, namely, 500.000 masks for Institutions of BIH. Six million masks will be distributed to Republika Srpska, the Federation of BIH and Brčko District of BIH, in accordance with a Decision on principles of distribution of international assistance for protection and rescue.
NO CONCESUS ON SPECIAL PROTECTION MEASURES
The Council of Ministers of BIH failed to reach a consensus in the second round of voting, with four votes for and five against, on a Proposal on special protection measures for import of certain products originating from the European Union member-countries, proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BIH.
BIH AND MACEDONIA BOOST COOPERATION FOR YOUTH
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal for conclusion of a Memorandum of Understanding on Youth Cooperation between the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BIH and Agency for Youth and Sports of the Republic of North Macedonia, for the purpose of further strengthening of the bilateral cooperation.
The two states incite further development of cooperation between youth organisations, including, exchange of knowledge, information and research works, and mutual visits of delegations of youth organisations and youth research agencies, as well as organisation of joint work groups from BIH and the North Macedonia.
The proposal for conclusion of the Memorandum will be sent to the BIH Presidency, with a proposal for the Minister of Civil Affairs as the BIH signatory thereof.
REGIONAL AGREEMENT ON ORGANISATION OF BALKAN MEDICAL FORCE
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Agreement between the Government of the North Macedonia, Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania, Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government of Montenegro, Government of the Republic of Serbia and Government of the Republic of Slovenia on the host country arrangements concerning the status of the Standing Organisation of Balkan Medical Force and its staff.
The aim of the Agreement is to regulate the status and enable effective operation of the Standing Organisation of Balkan Medical Force and its staff, with headquarters in Skoplje.
The Proposal Agreement will be sent to the BIH Presidency, with a proposal for the Minister of Defence as the BIH signatory.
Considering a need to continue activities on setting-up the Standing Organisation of Balkan Medical Force, the BIH Presidency was proposed to approve a temporary application of the Agreement.
2020 REPORT ON MIGRATIONS IN BIH ADOPTED
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information of the Ministry of Security on situation in the area of migrations in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2020, with corrections made at the session.
The Foreigners’ Affairs Service reported 16.190 illegal immigrants, which is a drop for 45% relevant to year 2019.
An intention to apply for asylum was declared by 15.170 migrants, and actually only 244 or 1.6% of them applied for it, which proves the misuse of the asylum system.
Most of migrants last year arrived from Afghanistan (4.553 or 28%), Pakistan (3.879 or 24%), Bangladesh (2.740 or 17%), Morocco (1.460 or 9%) , and Iraq (675 or 4%).
The BIH Border Police reported 11.658 individuals in attempt of illegal crossing of the state border, which is an increase of 34% relative to year 2019, with citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan being majority.
The strengthening of capacities of the BIH Border Police, Foreigners’ Affairs Service and Ministry of Security Migrations Division, asylum-related operations, as well as realisation of readmission agreements and intensified fight against migrant smugglers are the key points in addressing the issue of migration and asylum.
The security and humanitarian challenges faced by BIH in this migrant crisis were made additionally complex due to Covid-19 and risk of corona virus transmission among migrants.
The piece of information will be sent to the BIH Presidency and Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives.
CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL COOPERATION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMICS
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information on assessment of cross-institutional cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemics, prepared based the Ministry of Security-implemented research among institutions and bodies of BIH, the representatives of which are members of both the Coordination Body of BIH for Protection and Rescue and international institutions, including BIH GOs and NGOs.
Using the research, the Ministry of Security identified nine measures to be implemented by competent bodies in order to raise the level of preparedness of BIH institutions and organisations for a response to possible future emergencies and catastrophes.
The measures include developing of amendments and supplements to certain relevant legal acts, in addition to strengthening of institutional cooperation for a better functioning of the BIH Coordination Body for Protection and Rescue, while emphasising a need for all-level institutions and organisations active in BIH to have protection and rescue plans mutually connected, which would secure a linked mechanism for action in case of emergencies and catastrophe.
The Ministry of Security is responsible to coordinate activities on implementation of improvement aiming measures - identified in cross-institutional cooperation assessment during Covid-19 pandemics - in cooperation with competent BIH, Entity and Brčko District institutions and bodies.
Institutions and bodies in BIH are obliged to secure, within their competences, the implementation of identified measures.
The Ministry of Security will report the measures implementation to the Council of Ministers.
REPORT FROM CENRAL DATA BASE ON SERIOUS CRIMINAL ACTS COMMITTED
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted Ministry of Justice-presented report from the Central data base on serious criminal acts committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2020.
According to the report, total 430 verdicts were filled in the central data base last year, most of which, 311 precisely, for criminal acts of illegal production and marketing of narcotics; 100 referred to money laundry. Eight verdicts were made for “smuggling of people”, while six were taken for “production, procurement, sales and lease of tools for forgery”. Two verdicts were for abuse of under aged persons for pornography, and one verdict was taken for each a criminal act “inducing to prostitution”, highjack, and for “making pornographic contents available to a child”.
The central data base of verdicts for criminal acts for which data base is kept in time period 2018-2020 evidenced 1.292 verdicts, 385 in 2018, 477 in 2019, and 430 in 2020.
DEFINED PROPOSAL LIST OF CANDIDATES FOR CRA COUNCIL
The Council of Ministers considered a list of 14 most successful candidates in a procedure of election of members of the Council of Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA), upon a proposal of an appointment ad.hoc committee of the Parliamentarian Assembly.
In accordance with the Law on Communications, the BIH Council of Ministers defined a proposal list of seven candidates, which will be passed to the BIH Parliamentarian Assembly for an appointment procedure.
In the procedure implemented by the ac-hoc committee, the best ranked candidates were Antonio Beus, Vedran Škoro, Nasfuf Hadžiahmetović, Vedran Buhovac, Elmir Huremović, Vladimir Jurišić, and Slodbodan Bošković.
NO AGGREEMENT ON COMPETITION PROCEDURE
The Council of Ministers was briefed of the expiry of mandate and initiation of a procedure for selection and appointment of Director of the Indirect Taxation Administration.
With seven votes for and three against, in the second round of voting, no consensus was made on opening of competition procedure for this position.
IMPLEMENTED MORE THAN 90% BIH COUNCIL OF MISNTIERS CONCLUSSIONS IN 2020
Upon a proposal of the Secretariat-General, a breakdown of realisation of conclusions from the 62 sessions of the Council of Ministers, held in time period January 1. 2020-December 31.2020, was considered.
The breakdown covered 32 institutions of the Council of Ministers of BIH, which realised 845 conclusions of total taken 929 or 91%, with 84 conclusions left unrealised.
Ministries and other non-performing institutions were tasked to implement them fully without delay, and to report the Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers of BIH thereof, and to speed up their activities on realisation of conclusions requiring more time or requiring cooperation with other institutions.
Future realisation of the Council of Ministers conclusions should be set as a priority.
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