Sjednice
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Holds Its 10th Session
02.07.2020
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision on temporary financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and international obligations of BIH for July-September 2020
The Decision approves temporary financing of BIH Institutions for the third quarter of 2020 in amount of KM 241,500,000, which is one third of funds approved for financing of BIH institutions, in accordance with the Law on Budget of Institutions fo Bosnia and Herzegovina and international obligations of BIH for year 2019.
The decision takes effect as at day of tis adoption and will be published in the “Official Gazette of BIH”, and will be applied, starting from July 1, 2020.
ORGANISED FUNDS COLLECTED FROM DOMESTIC NATURAL AND LEGAL PERSONS FOR FIGHT AGAISNT COVID-19
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a decision on deployment of financial resources collected from both domestic legal and natural persons for countering Covid-19, pained to a special subaccount of the Single Treasury Account of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It is about Km 747,624.92, collected for these purposes, and distribution will be made according to earlier agreed percentages, namely KM 459.789, 93 (61.50%) for the federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 280,359.72 (37.5%) for Republika Srpska,, and KM 7,476.26 (1%9 for the Brčko District of BIH. According to the Decision, the Federation will share its portion at equal, two 50%, shares with its 10 cantons.
DISTRIBUTED INTERNATIAONL RELIEF IN EQUIPMENT AND OTHER MEANS
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision, upon a proposal of the Ministry Security, on distribution of international assistance for protection and rescue in equipment and in other means.
It is about 200 special sets of protective equipment, including medical protective suits, visors and eyeglasses; the assistance was received form the Government of the Republic Bulgaria, and it also consists of 42 thousand one-off protective masks – a donation form child Choir of the city of Wuxi from the People’s Republic of China.
The assistance will be distributed in accordance with the distribution principles, namely to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina 61.5%, Republika Srpska 37.5% and Brčko District of BIH 1%, while the Federation of BIH will share the assistance it received with its 10 cantons in equal 50% shares.
EU-BIH PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM SPECIAL GROUP TO MEET
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information by the directorate for European Integrations on holding of the 4th meeting of the Public Administration Reform Special Group between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, to be held on July 8, this year.
Today’s session adopted a discussion document and granted its consent to a proposal delegation composition of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in addition to adopting a series of operative conclusions for timely preparation for the 4th meeting of the Public Administration Reform Special Group.
BIH Minister of Justice Josip Grubeša will lead the BIH delegation at the high political dialogue to be held via video –link the most important topics and issues as to public administration in BIH are to be discussed at the meeting.
The second part of the meeting was planned as a public administration reform dialogue at a technical level, to be chaired by Public Administration Reform Coordinator Dragan Ćuluzan, on behalf of BIH.
EXTENDED USE OF LAISSEZ PASSER UNTIL JUNE 30, 2021
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information on activities of the Ministry of Security on admission of Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens returning from the Federal Republic of Germany to Bosnia and Herzegovina, based on the European passenger list for return (EU Laissez-Passer).
The use of the EU Laissez-Passer, issued by the FR Germany authorities for BIH citizens on their return/expulsion to Bosnia and Herzegovina was prolonged to June 30, 2021.
In time-period from December 31, 2015 to march 31, 2020, the competent bodies of the FR Germany announced arrival of 2,579 individuals. From the announced number, 1,277 BIH citizens returned, and total 570 individuals admitted with EU Laissez-Passer document, 663 with BIH passport, 31 with BIH ID card and 11 with BIH travel list.
Two BIH citizens were admitted with valid travel documents of foreign state. The admission of 46 individuals as rejected (38 were stopped in Germany and 8 returned from Sarajevo), as it checks conformed that they were not BIH citizens.
The Ministry of Security will follow the process and report the Council of Ministers of BIH, as appropriate.
FATF SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN IMPLEMENTATION
The Council of Ministers of BIH took a Decision on Amendments of Decision on implementation of restrictive measures defined under United Nations Security Council resolutions as follows: 1267 (1999); 1333 (2000); 1373 (2001); 1390 (2002); 1452 (2002); 1455 (2003); 1526 (2004); 1617 (2005); 1735 (2006); 1822 (2008); 1904 (2009), towards members of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin laden, Taliban and other individuals, groups, economic entities and organisation connected with them.
This way, Bosnia and Herzegovina, pursuant to its legal framework, taken up activities for an adequate implementation of FATF special recommendation, referring to application of domestic and international restrictive measures in connection to terrorism. Certain deficiencies were spotted by the Moneyval Committee during tis 59th plenary, held in Strasbourg in early December last year.
DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on level of development of Agricultural Information System in Bosnia and Herzegovina (in all its components).
A significant role of the agricultural information system, as a tool, is in an access to financial resources from the EU assistance and agricultural development funds, based on harmonisation with the common EU agricultural policy.
The Agricultural Information System in BIH is in its inceptive phase, as it misses key systems/subsystems, relative to EU demands, on the road of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the European community vof countries.
The Council of Ministers of BIH charged the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations to continue activities on development of the Agricultural Information System, in cooperation with responsible Entity and Brčko District institutions.
NON-CULTIVATED SIGNIFICANT PARTS OF AGRICULTURAL LAND
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information on measures undertaken in the area of agricultural land policy.
The total planted surfaces in BH in 2018 were 533,375 ha and were higher for 1% relative to the year before, as fallow and uncultivated farmland ere about 430,000 ha, while grow houses and others on farmland were about 3 thousand ha.
In the structure of planted surfaces in spring sowing, about 60% of surfaces were sown by wheat, 23% by alfalfa and 13% by vegetables, 3% by industrial plants and about 17% of surfaces there were sown by strawberries and raspberries, and on 0.2% there were aromatic and spice herbs sown.
During the autumn sowing 110,950 ha was sown, which is for 7,171 ha or 7% less than in autumn sowing last year. Out of the surfaces sown they were about 88% of wheat, about 6% of alfalfa, 3% industrial plants and 2% vegetables. The agricultural land in BIH has not been used as a public good in BIH for a longer time, in accordance with a general social interest, so significant surfaces of farming land remained fallow.
The main challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina faces as to agricultural land are the following: insufficiency of a comprehensive legislation harmonised with EU practices, connected with the issue of non-regulated market of agricultural land in state ownership, areas under mines, soil erosion and similar.
The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BIH will continue coordinating the harmonisation of agricultural land policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the competent Entity and Brčko District institutions.
HARMONISATION OF EXPLOSIVES-RELATED REGULATIONS WITH EU ACQUIS
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a piece of information on a workshop titled “Legislation harmonisation in the area of explosives for civil use and explosive precursors”, proposed by the Ministry of Security.
The Coordination Board for control of small and light arms is responsible to hold regular meetings with representatives of competent bodies of cantons, Republika Srpska and the Brčko District of BIH for the purpose of monitoring the harmonisation of legislation on trade with explosive matters, inflammatory fluids and gases, and report the European Commission of the Road Map implementation of sustainable solutions for suppression of illegal holding, misuse and trade of small and light arms/fire arms and belonging ammunition in the Western Balkans.
The competent bodies in BIH were recommended to launch activities for drafting legislation harmonised with the EU acquis in the area of explosives for civil use and precursor explosives, and draft relevant tables for harmonisation.
The Directorate for European Integrations should offer expert assistance to competent bodies in BIH in harmonisation of legislation with the EU acquis and coordinate the table drafting required for reporting.
The workshop was held in Sarajevo, on December 9-10, 2019, upon an initiative of the coordination committee for small and light arms control, in cooperation with the reginal centre for small and light arms control, within the EU-supported project. The organisation of the workshop was directly connected to realisation of the first strategic goal of the Small and Light Arms Control Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
TO IMPLEMENT UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS
The Council of Ministers of BIH took note of a piece of information by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees on Conclusive Notes for the compiled 12th and 13th periodic report of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the UN Human Rights Council on implementation of International Convention on elimination of racial and all other forms of discrimination.
The Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees was in charge to post the Conclusive Notes on its web-site and report, within a year deadline, to the Committee for Elimination of racial discrimination about the implementation of recommendations referring to reliable, up-dated and orderly arranged data on ethnic composition of population, as well as on socio-economic indicators on ethnic and national groups living in BIH, including the Roma population, returnees, refugees and asylum seekers.
The Ministry was charged to provide to the UN Human Rights Council both conclusive notes and the Council of Ministers of BIH conclusions on the 12th and 13th compiled periodic reports, including to all responsible bodies in BIH for the implementation thereof.
IMPLEMETNATION OF AGREEMENT OF EMPLOYMENT OF BIH CITIZENS IN SLOVENIS
The Council of Ministers of BIH adopted a Report of the Ministry of Civil Affairs from a meeting of Inter-Governmental Committee for monitoring of implementation of the Agreement between the Council of Ministers of BIH and Government of the Republic of Slovenia on employment of BIH citizens in the Republic of Slovenia, which was held in early October 2019.
The Republic of Slovenia Employment Bureau announced an introduction of bilingual labour contracts, which will make easier to BIH workers to understand the rights, conditions and obligations of both employers and workers. It was agreed to improve the correspondence between the Agency for Labour and Employment of BIH and Employment Bureau of the Republic of Slovenia as to provision of vacancy ads and reports on procedures started, as well as the provision on individual data on issued, valid and annulled permits.
The meeting concluded that there are still cases where employers recover costs of issuance for work permits directly from workers, which was not in line with the Agreement.
The Council of Ministers of BIH tasked the competent institutions in BIH to act in accordance with conclusions of the Inter-Governmental Committee; of which the Ministry of Civil Affairs will report, together with regular briefing the Council of Ministers of BIH on the Inter-Government Committee meetings.
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