Ambiciozan plan Nikšića i ministara: Usvojen Program rada Vlade FBiH za 2024. godinu

(Patria) - The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina today adopted the Work Program of the FBiH Government for 2024, prepared based on the mandate work program of the FBiH Government and the annual work plans of federal ministries.

The primary commitment of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is to ensure a strong and fair economy that will enable sustainable growth, improve the living standard of citizens, and reduce inequality. The FBiH Government, as stated in this document, will pay special attention to the rule of law, the fight against corruption, creating a safe environment and maintaining the highest possible level of security, then the sustainability of public spending, creating a favorable business environment through encouraging investments, supporting entrepreneurship and creating new values in the business and labor markets. The Government will also, it is stated, protect workers' rights, and work on reducing poverty and inequality, empowering women, improving social inclusion, strengthening pro-natalist policies, as well as improving the quality of life of citizens. It will also deal with accelerating the green and digital transition, and will fulfill the conditions in the process of BiH's accession to the European Union. The priorities of the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024 will also be focused on adopting key legal solutions and important by-laws, as well as sectoral strategic documents that will contribute to the regulation of these areas.

The federal ministries have prepared their annual work plans for 2024, which detail activities with sources of financing and expressed values for their implementation, deadlines, expected results, holders and indicators, which are integrated into a unique Work Program. Among other things, the annual work plan of the Federal Ministry of Justice includes, first of all, 30 normative-legal activities aimed at strengthening the justice system and affirming the rule of law, as well as strengthening the public administration system in the FBiH. The plan envisages that the focus of the activities of the Justice Sector in 2024 is the drafting of laws, i.e., proposals for laws implementing decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, the Constitutional Court of BiH, and the Constitutional Court of the Federation of BiH into the legal system of the FBiH, and drafting regulations that are a priority in the process of BiH's integration into full membership of the European Union.

The Plan of the Federal Ministry of Finance for 2024 includes 137 activities distributed to relieve the economy by reducing the fiscal burden on labor, improving the financial system and transparency in public finance management, and increasing the effectiveness of public spending, as well as increasing and improving the efficiency of public investments. Also, increasing efficiency in collecting public revenues and improving fiscal stability are planned. Some of the key directions are drafting a set of laws in the field of financial markets, improving regulations on tax administration, reducing the gray economy, then adopting the budget for 2025, the framework budget document for the period 2025-2027, and the debt management strategy for the period 2024-2026.

The Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry will, among other things, in the coming period actively work on implementing 15 programs in accordance with the FBiH Development Strategy for the period 2021–2027, and relevant sectoral strategies and Sustainable Development Goals through the development directions of Good Governance and Public Sector Management and Smart Growth. Activities in the energy sector are aimed at creating an orderly environment for the efficient functioning and development of the electricity sector, gas sector, oil derivatives sector and energy efficiency sector in accordance with EU legislation, such as drafting the FBiH energy strategy 2023–2035 with a projection to 2050, and amendments to the Law on Energy Efficiency in the FBiH. Also planned is the harmonization of the Law on Gas in the FBiH with the Law on Gas at the state level, i.e., the Law on the Regulator of Electricity and Natural Gas, Transmission and Electricity Market in BiH and the Third Energy Package. Activities on harmonization with the requirements of the acquis, SPP and EU partnership are also highlighted.

The annual work plan of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, among other things, contains measures for the implementation of the main program: ensuring a sustainable and efficient system of support for persons with disabilities and civilian victims of war in the FBiH, then creating conditions for the availability of labor on the labor market, as well as strengthening the mediation function of public employment services and improving the material and social security of unemployed persons. The programs relate, among other things, to the smooth functioning of the labor market, improving inter-sectoral cooperation, infrastructure and competencies of social protection service providers, as well as strengthening the PIO system, and improving the social inclusion of marginalized groups.

The measures by which the Federal Ministry of Displaced Persons and Refugees will implement the main program are improving sustainable return and stay, economic and social strengthening of returnees and their reintegration into the local community. Also, this year, stimulating connections with the BiH diaspora is planned. Given the strategic commitment of the Ministry to complete the process of closing collective centers, this ministry will in 2024 conduct negotiations with international financial institutions on credit indebtedness through the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH, which will provide the financial structure for the full implementation of this project by the end of 2026.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry will, according to this year's plan, continue activities aimed at realizing the strategic goals, sub-goals, priorities and measures of the FBiH Government primarily through the drafting and implementation of strategies, policies, laws and other regulations within its competence, and harmonizing them with the EU acquis and other international agreements and obligations concluded by BiH, in close cooperation with governmental and non-governmental partners, with the aim of ensuring sustainable development of agriculture, food industry, veterinary medicine, forestry and water management through rational use and protection of natural resources, support for producers and measures to support rural development. During this planning year, special work will be done on promoting the goals, priorities and measures of the FBiH Agriculture and Rural Development Strategy 2021-2027.

Based on the Annual Work Plan of the Federal Ministry of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts for this year, the main program "Creating conditions for the development and survival of micro, small and medium enterprises" is implemented, which is based on legal competences and strategic documents, and action plans. The activities listed in this program aim to increase the number of small and medium enterprises, encourage the growth of innovative and export-oriented small and medium enterprises, as well as create a more favorable business environment for the establishment and development of small business entities. In addition, the Ministry will this year actively work on implementing the Small Business Act and defining the framework of SME support policies that should be adopted and developed to improve the entrepreneurial environment and increase the competitiveness of SMEs.