Sjednice
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 34th Session
04/22/2021
The Council of Ministers of BIH defined a Proposal Platform for conclusion of an Agreement on 2018-2020 Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro between the European Commission, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Government of Montenegro.
The total estimated costs of the programme are EUR 1,270.588, with EUR 1.080.000, while the remaining EUR 190.588 will be secured from grant beneficiaries, mostly the lower level authorities. The programme area in Bosnia and Herzegovina covers 56 municipalities, and in Montenegro it covers 14 municipalities.
The overarching aims of the Programme are the socio-economic development and strengthening of good neighbourly relations in the border areas through implementation of cross-border cooperation activities. Specific goals include promotion of employment, labour mobility and social and cross-border inclusion, environmental protection, mitigation of adverse effects of climate change, as well as support to touristic and cultural and natural heritage.
The implementation term of the Agreement is 12 years from its effectiveness date, while the operative implementation is six years.
The Ministry of Finance and Treasury will provide the Proposal Platform to the BIH Presidency for further procedure, with a proposal for the Director of the Directorate for European Integrations for the BIH signatory.
REPORT ON MIGRATIONS 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 January 2021, to be passed to the BIH Presidency and Parliamentarian Assembly House of Representatives.
The piece of information indicates that in January 2021, the Foreigners Affairs Service registered 672 illegal migrants, which is almost the same number as in month before (670), however 25% less than in January 2020.
Most of the reported illegal migrants are from Afghanistan (179 or 26.7%), Pakistan (164 or 24.5%), Eritrea (64 or 9.%). Morocco (56 or 8.4%), Ns Egypt (30 or 4.5% ).
Out of 670 illegal migrants, 580 of them expressed their intention to seek asylum, with only 12 of them filling for it.
Discrepancies between the number of those declaring an intentions and actual asylum applicants confirms the asylum system being misused as an instrument enabling a legal stay in BIH territory within its validity date, which is 14 days. The misuse of the asylum system has become a modus operandi for illegal migrations to BIH, as has in other Western Balkans countries.
BIH Institutions accommodation capacities, i.e. the Immigration Centre in East Sarajevo, Asylum Centre in Delijaš and capacities of the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees accommodated total 138 individuals, as at January 31, 2021.
According to the International Organisation for Migrations (IOM), temporary accommodation centres, situated in the Sarajevo Canton and Unsko-Sanski Canton accommodated 5.552 individuals as at 21 12.2021, concretely, 4.133 migrants alone (4.106 men and 27 women), 306 families numbering total 953 members, and 466 juvenile unaccompanied migrants.
ADOPTED RULEBOOK ON USE OF SPECIALISED OFFICIAL VEHICLES
The Council of Ministers took a Rulebook on conditions for procurement and use of official specialised vehicles of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina and diplomatic-consular offices of BIH, in accordance with earlier adopted Rulebook on conditions and use of official vehicles in BIH Institutions.
The Rulebook regulates in detail the number of official specialised vehicles with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, procurement conditions, use, and entitlement to use.
The Ministry has eight official specialised vehicles, of which upper-middle class two cargo and six passenger cars. The official specialised vehicles may be used by Ministries for, among other things, transport of diplomatic mail, diplomatic-consular archives, and IT equipment and supplies. Also, the special passenger vehicles are used for BIH delegations transport in BIH and abroad and for other purposes in accordance with the protocol of the Ministry and other competent bodies of BIH, specifically in case of need by an Institution of BIH, as well as upon a request by the BIH Presidency or Council of Ministers.
BIH diplomatic-consular offices have total 115 official specialised vehicles, of which 56 middle class vehicles and 55 lower middle class vehicles, used for regular diplomatic-consular operations, in addition to four specialised vehicles of upper-middle class for delegations.
FOREIGNERS EMPLOYED IB BIH HAVE NO SINGNIFICAT IMPART ON LABOUR MARKET
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted the Ministry of Civil Affairs-proposed platform for employment of foreigners in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is a framework base document for employing foreigners in BIH.
The aim of the platform is to set-up a continuous monitoring of all segments affecting foreigners’ employment in BIH, as well as to strengthen cross-institutional cooperation, monitoring, supervising and mediating in foreigners employment.
In accordance with the BIH Constitution, the area of labour and employment, including that of foreigners, is the competence of the Entities and Brčko District of BIH, which regulate the area under separate laws, while the policy and migrations, refugees and asylum issues are the responsibility of BIH Institutions.
Official data indicate that the number of foreigners employed in BIH has no significant quantitative effect on the BIH labour market because the effect of annual number of employed foreigners in BIH relative to an average number of the employed in BIH in year 2018 was only 0.4%. It is necessary to follow relevant solutions made in the European Union countries in order to harmonise legal solutions on employment of foreigners in BIH at all levels. It is also necessary to monitor continuously follow the indicated needs of employers for deficient labour and needs for foreign labour.
The Ministry of Security, BIH Agency for Labour and Employment, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Ministry of Labour and Veterans-Disabled Protection of Republika Srpska, Federal Institute for Employment, Employment Institute of Republika Srpska, and Employment Institute of the Brčko District of BIH will start implementing conclusions and recommendations from the document, in accordance with their responsibilities.
NO CONSENT
The Council of Ministers od BIH failed to adopt, with five votes for and five against, a piece of information on measures taken for activation of protection clause of the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement for import of certain agricultural products from the European Union countries, supplemented by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations after holding a technical meeting, on April 15, 2021, with the Delegation of the European Commission.
The Council of Ministers of BIH will reflect on the piece of information in the second round of voting.
SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF “PERSPECTIVE” PROGRAMME AND “PREVNETION” PROJECT BY MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information of the Ministry of Defence on implementation of a “Perspective” Programme of transition and taking care of discharged staff, and “Prevention” Project of mental health protection and psychosocial assistance in the Ministry of Defence of BIH and Armed Forces of BIH in year 2020, for further implementation of which a support was provided to the Ministry of Defence of BIH. The “Perspective” Programme assisted 244 soldiers discharged - four soldiers in 2020 - as an effect of implementation of Article 101.1 of the Law on Service in Armed Force of BIH. In the reported period of time, total KM 715.768.88 was spent, with average individual assistance amounting to KM 2.952.96.
The unused finances from 2016-2020 time span, in amount of KM 907.509, were transferred and joined to the funds planned for the next five-year cycle (2021-2025) of the “Perspective” Programme.
The Ministry of Defence of BIH has been independently successfully implemented the “Preventive” Project of mental health protection and psychosocial assistance to the Ministry and Armed Forces of BIH members engaged in missions abroad (Afghanistan, Congo, Mali, CAR). Under the project, totally assisted were 495 members of the BIH Armed Forces, of which 146 in 2020, spending total KM 162,702.99.
NO AGREEMENT ON EMIGRATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH failed, with four votes for and six against, to take a Rulebook on recording scientific and business emigration and outstanding individuals in emigration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the same way, a piece of information by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees titled “Role and Potentials of Emigration in BIH tourism development” was rejected.
In the second round of voting, no consent was reached concerning a piece of information on organised meetings for emigration from Bosnia and Herzegovina and cooperation with BIH diplomatic-consular network in the light of development of relations with emigration.
Also, with four votes for and six against, in the second round of voting, a consensus as not reached on developing a decision on transfer of knowledge, skills and experiences of the emigration to institutions and pubic institutes in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SEMIANNUAL REPORT ON ASSESSMNT OF CIVIL SERVANTS
The Council of Ministers took note of a summary report of the Agency for Civil Service of BIH on assessing civil servants in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for July-December 2020.
The report covered 56 institutions which completed the assessment process, resulting in totally 1.645 civil servants assessed, and 240 civil servants non-assessed. The total average score in BIH institutions was 3.67 – “especially successful” - with 1.324 civil servants getting the assessment, while 10 got “satisfying” assessment and one civil servant was assessed as “not satisfying“.
The obligation of assessing civil servants at least once in six months was defined under the Rulebook on assessing civil servants performance of in Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
PREPARATION OF DOCUMENTS
The Council of Ministers of BIH will provide to the State Investigations an Protection Agency data and documentation on measures and activities taken in regard to Covid-19 pandemics, including safety measures and vaccines procurement for immunisation of citizens of BIH against corona virus.
The Ministry of Civil Affairs will, in cooperation with institutions taking part in securing and procuring vaccines needed for immunisation od BIH citizens against corona virus, prepare a relevant piece of information and provide it to the Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers of BIH, accompanied by all relevant documents as to securing and procurement of vaccines needed for the immunisation of citizens.
The State Investigation and Protection Agency, acting upon a request of the BIH Prosecutorial Office, required from the Council of Ministers of BIH certain documentation as to vaccines procurement, starting from September 16, 2020. (end)