BiH to host EU - Western Balkans Ministerial Conference for the first time in October

(Patria) - The 75th session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in Sarajevo today.

Arms Control

At the proposal of the Ministry of Security, the Strategy for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2025-2030 and the Action Plan for its implementation for the period 2025-2027 were adopted, with amendments at the session.

The Strategy and the accompanying Action Plan represent a framework of priority goals and activities in the area of SALW control and are aligned with the priorities set out in the EU Strategy against the Illicit Trafficking of Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition, as well as other relevant international and regional documents in this area.

The Strategy and the accompanying Action Plan were prepared by the Coordination Board for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons in cooperation with competent authorities in BiH and international partners involved in the implementation of strategic goals in the process of further improving security in our country and the region.

The implementation of the Strategy through the Action Plan represents a continuation and expansion of activities in building a comprehensive and effective SALW control system in BiH.

The Strategy focuses on four strategic goals aimed at improving and harmonizing the legal framework in this area with EU legislation and other international obligations, as well as reducing misuse and improving the safe management of SALW in the possession of the Armed Forces of BiH, while strengthening regional and international cooperation in the process of strengthening control in this area.

BiH - EU Dialogue

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information from the Directorate for European Integration on the holding of the eighth meeting of the Subcommittee on Transport, Energy, Environment and Regional Development between the European Union (EU) and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which will be held on June 19, 2025, at the proposal of the European Commission.

The head of the BiH delegation, Admir Softić from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, will be available to the media for inquiries regarding this online meeting, which will discuss climate policy, regional development, and issues related to transport, environment, and energy.

The text of the Discussion Document has been fully harmonized with the relevant institutions at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Directorate for European Integration of the Council of Ministers of BiH, in cooperation with the competent institutions in BiH and the services of the European Commission, will carry out all necessary actions for holding the eighth meeting of the Subcommittee on Transport, Energy, Environment and Regional Development between the EU and BiH.

The session also adopted the Information from the Directorate for European Integration on the holding of the eighth meeting of the Subcommittee on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation on April 29, 2025.

The topics of the meeting, which will be discussed by the delegations of BiH and the European Commission in Brussels, with the possibility of participation via video link, are: trade, free movement of goods, industrial policy, small and medium-sized enterprises, taxation, customs, and investment protection in the context of replacing agreements between BiH and EU member states in this area.

The head of the BiH delegation, Brankica Pandurević from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, will be available to the media for inquiries regarding this meeting, while the Directorate for European Integration of the Council of Ministers of BiH, in cooperation with the competent institutions in BiH and the services of the European Commission, will carry out all necessary actions for holding this meeting.

Availability of EIB Loans

The Council of Ministers of BiH has prepared and will submit to the Presidency of BiH the Proposal for Amendment No. 3 to the Financing Agreement (Electricity Distribution in BiH/C) concluded between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on May 19, 2014, in Sarajevo and June 5, 2014, in Luxembourg, along with the Basis for its conclusion, and the proposed signatory for BiH is the Minister of Finance and Treasury, Srđan Amidžić.

The proposed amendment extends the availability period of the EIB loan until December 31, 2027, as requested by JP Elektroprivreda BiH through the Federal Ministry of Finance.

We remind you that under the previously concluded agreement, Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., the project implementer JP Elektroprivreda BiH, was granted EUR 15,000,000 for the purpose of maintaining, modernizing, and expanding the electricity distribution network.

Decision on Ratification

The Council of Ministers of BiH has prepared the Proposal for a Decision on the Ratification of the Amendments to the Statute of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and its Annex – Financial Rules, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will submit to the Presidency of BiH for further ratification procedures.

The Presidency of BiH accepted the Amendments to the Statute of the UN World Tourism Organization and its Annex – Financial Rules in December last year and authorized the Minister of Foreign Affairs of BiH to sign the notification of acceptance of these amendments.

EU - Western Balkans Ministerial Conference

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information on the organization of the EU - Western Balkans Ministerial Conference in 2025 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and accepted that Bosnia and Herzegovina will be the host country for this ministerial conference for the area of security and justice for the first time.

The Council of the EU and the European Commission will be informed about the acceptance of hosting this conference, which is usually held annually in October.

Appropriate conclusions were made at the session, aiming to appoint an organizing committee for the organization of this conference and to determine the amount and method of securing the necessary funds for its holding.

Route Charges

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Communications and Transport, adopted the Decision on determining the planned revenue amounts from the provision of air navigation services (route charges) in the airspace of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2025, in the total amount of BAM 93,749,303.

BAM 84,333,910 is allocated to the Air Navigation Services Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BHANSA), including Eurocontrol costs in the amount of BAM 3,641,169, BAM 2,918,407 to the Directorate of Civil Aviation of BiH (BHDCA), and BAM 6,496,986 to the service provider outside Bosnia and Herzegovina – Croatia Control of Civil Aviation (CCL).

In accordance with the regulations from the area of common policy for collecting route charges, the determined planned cost bases are subject to an adjustment mechanism to ensure the final reimbursement of only the actual costs of services.

Communicating EU Accession

At the proposal of the Directorate for European Integration, the Action Plan of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the implementation of the Communication Strategy of BiH institutions on the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the European Union – from candidate status to membership for 2025 was adopted, with amendments at the session.

Previously, the Information from the Directorate for European Integration on the preparation of the proposal for this action plan was adopted.

A total of 29 institutions at the BiH level are involved in the implementation of a broader package of communication activities directly related to the priorities and obligations from the European integration process.

BAM 1,371,665 will be spent on the implementation of the Action Plan, of which BAM 725,855 is secured in the budgets of the institutions implementing the activities, while BAM 645,810 will be provided by donors.

This year's action plan is characterized by a new approach in implementing activities that will be carried out to ensure higher quality and more effective communication, and a slight increase in the number of institutions involved in its implementation compared to the previous year, when 23 BiH institutions were involved.

At the session, the Directorate for European Integration was tasked to, on behalf of the Council of Ministers of BiH, invite institutions in BiH to more actively participate in the preparation of the proposal for the next action plan and the implementation of the current one.

At the same time, the Report on the implementation of the Action Plan of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the implementation of the Communication Strategy of BiH institutions on the process of Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the European Union – from candidate status to membership for 2024, prepared by the Directorate for European Integration, was adopted.

According to the Report, out of 117 planned activities, 23 BiH institutions implemented 96 activities (82%), while 21 activities (18%) were not implemented, most often due to a lack of financial resources.

Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative

The Council of Ministers of BiH tasked the Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of Fight against Corruption (APIK) to represent Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI).

The Agency for Prevention of Corruption and Coordination of Fight against Corruption is obliged to appoint two representatives, a member and a deputy member, for membership in the Steering Committee of the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, who will replace the previously appointed representatives of the Ministry of Security of BiH, and will inform the RAI Secretariat about this.

This intergovernmental initiative, based in Sarajevo, brings together nine countries and was established by signing the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in the fight against corruption through the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative, signed in 2007, and the Protocol on Amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding, signed in 2013.

Growth in Foreign Trade Exchange

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, adopted the Analysis of Foreign Trade Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024.

The Analysis states that the total trade of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024 amounted to BAM 44.73 billion.

The value of exported goods was BAM 16.07 billion, and the value of imported goods was BAM 28.65 billion, while the foreign trade deficit was BAM 12.58 billion.

The main characteristics of foreign trade exchange in the past year compared to the same period in 2023 were the growth of total foreign trade exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (0.59%), growth in imports (3.19%), a decrease in exports (3.74%), and the coverage of imports by exports decreased by 4.04% and amounted to 56.10%.

Bosnia and Herzegovina exported the most insulated wire, cables, electricity, steel or iron structures, and seats and their parts, and imported the most petroleum oils, other than crude, passenger cars, medicines, and copper wire.

Public Administration Reform

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Public Administration Reform Coordinator's Office, adopted the semi-annual Report on progress in the implementation of the Action Plan for Public Administration Reform of the Strategic Framework for Public Administration Reform 2018-2027 for the period January-June 2024.

According to the Report, 17.47% of the activities from the Action Plan of the Strategic Framework for Public Administration Reform in BiH have been implemented, which is 1.68% more compared to the end of 2023.

The semi-annual measurement of progress in the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Action Plan showed that 5.58% of activities have been partially implemented, and the percentage of unimplemented activities has decreased to 76.95% compared to 80.30% in the same period last year.

Looking at the progress by reform pillars in the first half of 2024, it is evident that the area of public finance management, where 100% of activities have been completed, continues to show the best results compared to the remaining reform areas, which include: policy development and coordination, civil service and human resource management, accountability, better service delivery and quality, and digitalization in service delivery.

At the session, the responsible institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH were tasked to act on the general and specific recommendations regarding the implementation of public administration reform given in this report for the reform areas of the Action Plan.

It was recommended that the governments of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District of BiH task the responsible institutions at their levels to act on the recommendations from the reform areas of the Public Administration Reform Action Plan from this progress report.

Growth in the Number of Children in Preschool Institutions

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted in a new text the Information from the Ministry of Civil Affairs on statistical indicators in education in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024, which includes all four levels of education (preschool, primary, secondary, and higher education) and reflects the state's structure and legally defined competencies in this area.

According to the Information, 46,902 children were users of preschool institutions during 2023-2024, which is an increase of more than 16,000 children over a five-year period, starting from the 2019/2020 school year, when this number was 30,587. At the same time, 493 preschool institutions were registered in BiH in the 2023/2024 school year, compared to 390 in the 2019/2020 school year.

In the 2023/2024 school year, 1,667 primary schools and 47 schools for children with developmental difficulties operated in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of primary schools decreased by 72 compared to the 2019/2020 school year, while one more school was opened for children with developmental difficulties in the 2023/2024 school year. 255,512 students were enrolled in primary schools, compared to 273,155 students in the 2019/2020 school year.

In the 2023/2024 school year, 107,740 students were enrolled in 313 secondary schools, which is about 5,000 fewer students compared to the 2019/2020 school year, when 112,796 students were enrolled in 315 schools. In recent years, there has been a trend of decreasing enrollment in grammar schools, while the number of students enrolled in technical and art schools has slightly increased.

In the academic year 2023/2024, 75,016 students were enrolled in higher education institutions, of whom more than half were female students (45,271), compared to 82,909 enrolled in the period 2019-2020. In 2023, 13,163 students graduated in BiH, of whom 8,286 were women.

The proportion of people aged 18 to 24 who had previously dropped out of education in BiH was 4.2% in 2023, a decrease compared to 2020.

Tariff Quotas

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on the application of tariff quotas of the Customs Tariff for the import period from January 1 to December 31, 2024.

According to the Information, duty-free import was enabled for a total of 85 tariff codes, and for 51% of them, the import of goods remained at almost the same level as last year, for 8% of the opened tariff quotas, there was an increase in imports, and for 12%, there was a decrease in imports compared to the previous year.

Very high utilization, above 90%, is observed for 13% of tariff codes that can be considered raw materials or inputs for the meat processing sector, such as live pigs weighing less than 50 kg. Also, the quota quantities for some dairy products and live fish were utilized to a very high extent.

For certain goods, there was a significant decrease in imports, e.g., certain types of fresh vegetables and fruits, such as white and red cabbage, table grapes, and fresh sour cherries, as well as live lambs, dried meat, and cigarettes. For 25% of the opened tariff quotas, imports were zero, meaning there were no interested importers for goods for 21 tariff codes.

Quotas opened in accordance with the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), the EFTA Agreement, and the relevant protocol to the SAA are repeated annually, regardless of their utilization, and serve as support for the economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Movement of Weapons and Military Equipment

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Report of the Ministry of Security on the implementation of the Law on Control of Movement of Weapons and Military Equipment for 2024.

According to the Report, in the past year, 974 decisions approving the movement of weapons and military equipment were issued, which is 8.22% more than in 2023, when 900 decisions were issued. Of these, 395 decisions were for import, and 579 for export.

A total of 46 business entities submitted requests for the movement of weapons and military equipment in 2024.

Serious Criminal Offenses

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, adopted the Report from the Central Database on committed serious criminal offenses in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2024.

In the period from 2022 to 2024, a total of 1,194 verdicts were recorded in the Central Database on convicted cases for all criminal offenses for which data centralization is maintained, of which 467 verdicts were submitted in 2024, according to this report.

The verdicts cover criminal offenses related to money laundering, terrorism and financing of terrorism, drug abuse, human trafficking and smuggling, kidnapping, as well as child pornography, prostitution, and forgery.

The largest number of submitted verdicts from BiH courts (402) in 2024, as well as in the previous three-year period, related to the criminal offenses of "unauthorized production and trafficking of narcotic drugs" and "possession and enabling the use of narcotic drugs".

Participation in EXPO 2027

The Council of Ministers of BiH accepted the invitation for Bosnia and Herzegovina to participate in the Specialized Exhibition Expo 2027 – Belgrade, Republic of Serbia, which will be held from May 15 to August 15, 2027.

At the session, tasks were assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH for further activities towards proposing to the Council of Ministers of BiH a decision on establishing the BiH organizing committee for the preparation of participation in this specialized exhibition, as well as proposing a program for participation and the necessary financial resources and their funding, which the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH will plan in the budget of BiH institutions for 2026 and 2027.

Public Competition

The Council of Ministers of BiH tasked the Ministry of Communications and Transport to announce a public call for the selection and appointment of two Deputy Director Generals, namely in the Air Navigation Sector (ANAD) and the Flight Safety and Aviation Security Sector (FSSD) in the Directorate of Civil Aviation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in accordance with the Law on Ministerial Appointments, Council of Ministers Appointments, and other Appointments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after their mandates expire.

Approval for Appointments

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave its consent for the appointment of the Defense Attaché of the Republic of Indonesia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Colonel Budi Alamsyah was appointed to this position.

At the same time, consent was given for the appointment of the Defense, Military, Naval, and Air Attaché at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Sarajevo, based in Athens. Ricardo Jose Valdes Fernandez was appointed to this position.

Citizenship in Sports

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Decision on granting citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Theodor Krunić, a citizen of the Republic of Austria, upon the recommendation of the Cycling Federation of BiH.

He is a 15-year-old who competes in sport cycling in the downhill discipline, which is one of the styles of mountain biking.