NSRS to adopt Draft Law on HJPC RS, OHR responds on further steps

By: A. Vrabac

Milorad Dodik, SNSD president, announced today that the session of the National Assembly of RS, to be held in the coming days, will include the Draft Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Republika Srpska (HJPC RS), as well as the Law on the Cessation of the Law on Prohibition of Disposal of State Property in the Territory of Republika Srpska.

"Since there is no High Representative anymore, we will abolish it," Dodik said today.

He also spoke about the issue of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina (AF BiH), given that the conclusions on the transfer of competencies adopted on December 10, 2021, defined defense and security, and ultimately the formation of the Army of Republika Srpska.

"We are seeking dialogue on these matters. As for the AF BiH, we have persistently sought to reduce the number of members and to agree on it. They don't even want to talk about it. Halve the AF BiH in terms of costs and composition, and let the AF BiH remain. If you don't have an agreement, what else can we do?" Dodik said.

At the end of October last year, the National Assembly of Republika Srpska (NSRS) adopted the Law on Medicines and Medical Devices of RS, which plans to establish an entity agency for medicines, meaning the undermining of state institutions and the endangerment of the population's health. High Representative Christian Schmidt warned about this. To the question of whether High Representative Schmidt and the PIC member states will react before the NSRS session and stop the obvious undermining of state institutions, we received the following response from the OHR:

"The seriousness of these developments is evident, and we have publicly stated our positions on them on several occasions. As for the next steps of the High Representative and the Peace Implementation Council, there is no need for speculation."