For BiH to follow EU in restrictions against Russia, two votes from each constituent nation are needed in the Council of Ministers

(Patria) - Chairman of the Presidency Šefik Džaferović held a meeting yesterday with ambassadors of the European Union and G7 countries. The implementation of restrictive measures against the Russian Federation was requested, and Džaferović stated that he is asking the Council of Ministers of BiH to fulfill its obligations and implement the restrictive measures provided for by the acts of the European Union to which Bosnia and Herzegovina has officially joined. 

The Chairman of the BiH Presidency also sent this request to the Council of Ministers of BiH in writing.

A session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a vote for BiH are scheduled for tomorrow, and the agenda also includes determining the vote regarding the resolutions of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) - second round of voting, concerning sanctions against Russia and Belarus due to the aggression against Ukraine. In the first round of voting, ministers from RS did not support these resolutions. 

According to the Rules of Procedure of the Council of Ministers of BiH, if consensus is not reached on a decision, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers shall convene the member or members of the Council of Ministers who are against it in order to reach a solution.

“If consensus is not reached within seven days in this manner either, the decision shall be made by the Council of Ministers by a majority of votes, which includes at least two members from each constituent nation,” the Rules of Procedure state.

We remind you that the BiH Governor to the EBRD, Minister of Finance and Treasury Vjekoslav Bevanda, has until April 1st to declare his vote. 

The resolutions concern the EBRD not conducting new operations, i.e., loans or technical assistance in the Russian Federation and Belarus, and where possible, suspending or canceling the disbursement of tranches in existing operations for these countries.