Council of Ministers of BiH Announces Increased Public Availability of Information for Citizens

(Patria) - The 69th session of the Council of Ministers of BiH was held today in Sarajevo, where, among other things, a Decision on amendments to the Tariff of administrative fees in the indirect taxation procedure was adopted.

The Decision, proposed by the Indirect Taxation Administration, introduces a reduction or abolition of certain fees due to the implementation of the New Computerised Transit System (NCTS) at the national level and preparations for Bosnia and Herzegovina's accession to the Convention on Common Transit Procedures (CTC Convention) and the Convention on Facilitation of Formalities in Trade in Goods (JCI Convention).

At the same time, it is necessary to align the regulation terminologically with the Law on Customs Policy of BiH, which came into effect on August 1, 2022. Furthermore, the earlier Reform Agenda for BiH envisaged the optimization of administrative fees and charges.

It is estimated that the application of this decision will lead to a reduction in budget revenues of Bosnia and Herzegovina by approximately 6,029,000 KM annually.

Additional CEFTA Protocol

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Report of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on negotiations for the conclusion of Additional Protocol 7 on dispute settlement to the Agreement on amendment and accession to the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA 2006), thereby implementing one of the conclusions from the Special Meeting of the CEFTA Joint Committee, held on October 9, 2024, in Belgrade.

The proposal for Additional Protocol 7 on dispute settlement to the Agreement on amendment and accession to CEFTA 2006 will be submitted to the Presidency of BiH for further procedure, and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations has been proposed as the BiH signatory.

The aim of the Additional Protocol is to improve the dispute settlement system between CEFTA members and provide better opportunities for protecting the legitimate trade interests of countries.

GRECO Recommendations

The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted individual information on the adoption of the Report on the compliance of Bosnia and Herzegovina with GRECO recommendations in the Fifth Evaluation Round and the Third Interim Report on the compliance of Bosnia and Herzegovina with GRECO recommendations in the Fourth Evaluation Round, which will be published on the website of the Ministry of Security of BiH.

The GRECO report in the Fifth Evaluation Round is dedicated to the topics of preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central authorities (highest executive functions) and law enforcement agencies.

Simultaneously, in the Fourth Evaluation Round, which concerned the prevention of corruption in relation to members of parliament, judges, and prosecutors, GRECO noted in its Third Report slight progress by BiH, after three recommendations were fully implemented, 11 partially, while one recommendation was not implemented.

Amount for Foreigners

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Security, adopted the Decision on the minimum amount of funds required for the maintenance of a foreigner during their intended stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the year 2025.

The minimum amount of funds that a foreigner must have upon entering Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2025 is 150 KM or its equivalent in foreign convertible currency for each day of the intended stay in BiH. This is the same amount as in previous years.

Number of Publicly Available Information

Several conclusions were adopted at the session, emphasizing the importance of transparent and efficient management of data held by the institutions of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina in order to fulfill their legally prescribed responsibilities and the obligation to maintain public trust.

The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH proposed appropriate conclusions to improve proactive transparency, taking into account the frequency of parliamentary and delegate questions that continuously seek the same or similar information.

In this regard, the institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH are tasked with regularly publishing on their official websites and updating at least once a year data on engaged persons in the status of appointed officials, civil servants, and employees, including data on fixed-term employment contracts, in a manner that the data includes the job title without personal data.

The obligation to publish and regularly update also includes data on persons engaged under service contracts, in a manner that the data includes the tasks under the service contract and the value of the contract.

At the same time, the institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH are obliged to publish on their official websites a consolidated statistical overview of gender representation of employees at the institutional level, as well as data on funds spent for representation, in a manner that a consolidated overview of monthly spending at the institutional level is published, along with basic data on official and specialized vehicles owned by the institution (total number of vehicles/specialized vehicles and other similar information), and to regularly update the published information, at least once a year.

The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH will submit these conclusions to the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH with an invitation to the collegium of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina to inform the representatives and delegates about the conclusions adopted today.

Social Rights

At today's session, the Information of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees on the implementation of the Revised European Social Charter in Bosnia and Herzegovina under Group 1. Rights, with Appendix 1 - Responses of institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina to the questions of the Council of Europe's Committee of Social Rights on the implementation of Group 1. Rights of the Revised European Social Charter, was adopted in its new text.

The information will be forwarded through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Council of Europe's Committee of Social Rights in Strasbourg, employers' associations, and trade unions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This information was prepared in cooperation with competent institutions in BiH and provides answers to targeted questions for 2024 in various areas of work, including the right to fair working conditions, fair remuneration, trade union organization, collective bargaining, and equal opportunities in employment for women and men.

EU4Health Programme for 2024

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information of the Ministry of Civil Affairs on Bosnia and Herzegovina's participation in the EU4Health Programme for 2024, which was signed in July and ratified in December last year.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, in cooperation with competent institutions in BiH, will continue to coordinate and monitor activities related to Bosnia and Herzegovina's participation in the EU4Health Programme and strengthening the capacities of potential applicants to utilize the financial resources available within this programme.

According to the Information, contact points for the EU4Health Programme have been established in the entities, Brčko District of BiH, and in ten cantons, which, together with the contact point of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, will work on promoting the Programme, disseminating its results, and information about its impact in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Civil Affairs has initiated the establishment of a Coordination Desk for the EU4Health Programme with the aim of professional training and support for potential applicants in developing applications for participation within the Programme.

During 2024, numerous activities were carried out to inform the wider public and stakeholders in the health sector in BiH about the EU4Health Programme, i.e., the financial opportunities available within this programme.

CEFTA Market

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Report of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations from the Special Meeting of the CEFTA Joint Committee, held on October 9, 2024, in Belgrade, where 10 decisions and one recommendation were adopted.

The CEFTA decisions and recommendation will be submitted to the institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina so that, in accordance with constitutional competencies, through cooperation, consent, and coordination of all levels of government, they create the prerequisites for implementation and action in accordance with prescribed procedures.

These relate to the implementation of decisions in the areas of facilitating e-commerce, improving parcel delivery services, preventing unjustified geo-blocking, trade aspects of intellectual property rights, facilitating trade in services provided by travel agencies and tour operators, establishing an electronic system for facilitating risk management in trade in goods, recognizing AEOS programs, amending the Decision on the establishment of CEFTA bodies, as well as amending the Decision on the establishment of the Subcommittee on Trade in Services, and one recommendation related to facilitating compulsory third-party liability insurance within CEFTA countries.

The implementation of these decisions will strengthen regional cooperation in the process of fulfilling obligations arising from the CEFTA agreement and additional protocols, as well as the Action Plan for the Common Regional Market, in accordance with the rules and practices of the European Union, with the aim of bringing the CEFTA market closer to the EU's single market.

Vote on Reconstruction of CoM BiH

The Council of Ministers of BiH was informed about the Request to initiate a vote on the reconstruction of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, submitted by the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, after the request for the dismissal of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, was signed by 11 representatives of this house.