Decisions from today's session of the Council of Ministers of BiH

(Patria) - The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted at today's session the Information of the Ministry of Security on the development of the Migration Management Transition Plan, and made appropriate conclusions aimed at ensuring a quality transition of temporary reception center (TRC) management from international organizations to BiH institutions.

The Council of Ministers of BiH, with the support of the EU, wants to strengthen the capacities of Bosnia and Herzegovina so that the country can take over the management of TRCs and the coordination of all activities for reducing and preventing illegal migration, which would ultimately lead to a reduced entry of illegal migrants into both BiH and Western Europe.

The Ministry of Security will propose to the Council of Ministers of BiH a decision on appointing a working group that will prepare the Draft Migration Management Transition Plan. Representatives of state ministries of security - the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, Finance and Treasury, Human Rights and Refugees, and Civil Affairs of BiH, as well as representatives of other competent institutions if necessary, will be appointed to it.

After the adoption of the Transition Plan, the working group will prepare a proposal for the necessary financial resources for its implementation and submit it to the Council of Ministers of BiH for adoption.

Since the end of 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina, like many other European countries, has found itself on the route of illegal migrants, which is why, in accordance with the decisions of the Council of Ministers of BiH, temporary reception centers have been opened for their accommodation at several locations in BiH.

Temporary reception centers are managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in cooperation with the Service for Foreigners' Affairs.

Activities to ensure accommodation, food, hygiene, and other needs for migrants arriving in BiH are mainly financed by the European Union, through IPA funds.

Draft Laws for Further Harmonization

The Council of Ministers of BiH did not make a decision on the draft laws on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and on amendments to the Election Law of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the authorized proposer withdrew for further harmonization.

Construction of a New Pavilion for the "Boriša Starović" Student Center

The Council of Ministers of BiH accepted the Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and appointed a delegation to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a Loan Agreement between the Saudi Fund for Development and Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Project of constructing a student dormitory at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of East Sarajevo, in the amount of 13 million US dollars.

The implementation of the project to build a student dormitory at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of East Sarajevo will provide an additional 380 accommodation units by expanding the premises and constructing a new pavilion of the "Boriša Starović" Student Center in Foča.

This aims to contribute to improving the quality of teaching and study conditions for students in RS.

The loan is allocated to RS, with a repayment period of 20 years, including a five-year grace period, with an annual interest rate of 1.5%.

After the negotiations are completed, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will submit the draft of this agreement and the basis for its conclusion to the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Additional Financing for the Ilidža - Hrasnica Tram Line

At the session, the Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury was accepted, and a delegation was appointed to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a Loan Agreement - additional financing (Ilidža - Hrasnica Tram Line; Sarajevo Public Transport e-Mobility) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

This involves an additional loan of five million euros allocated to the Federation of BiH, Canton Sarajevo - Ministry of Transport of Canton Sarajevo, with a repayment period of 15 years, a grace period of three years, and EURIBOR interest.

The implementation of this project will improve the quality of public passenger transport by introducing European standards, protecting the natural environment, and enhancing the safety of staff and users, which will increase economic competitiveness.

After the negotiations are completed, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will submit the draft of this agreement and the basis for its conclusion to the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Support for the Construction of a Science and Technology Park in Banja Luka

The Council of Ministers of BiH accepted the Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and appointed a delegation to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a Loan Agreement (Science and Technology Park Construction Project) between the Saudi Fund for Development and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This project aims to construct and equip a science and technology park and adapt the existing plateau next to the building into a modern parking lot within the University of Banja Luka Campus, with a total usable area of 7,758.02 square meters on five floors.

The construction and equipping of the science and technology park will create conditions for further economic development and strengthening cooperation between scientific and technical organizations and economic entities, with the creation of new jobs, digital development, and improved competitiveness of RS.

The loan, worth 13 million US dollars from the Saudi Fund for Development, will be repaid over 20 years with a five-year grace period, at an annual interest rate of 1.5%, and is allocated to RS.

After the negotiations are completed, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will submit the draft of this agreement and the basis for its conclusion to the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Continuation of the Sarajevo Public Transport Project

At the proposal of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Initiative was accepted and a delegation was appointed to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a Loan Agreement - additional financing (Sarajevo Public Transport e-Mobility) between BiH and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The loan funds, amounting to five million euros, are intended for the implementation of the "Adaptive Traffic Management" project, which includes the procurement of a modern intelligent traffic management and monitoring system with public transport priorities, a video surveillance system, and video incident detection based on the latest technologies.

The additional loan is allocated to the Federation of BiH, Canton Sarajevo - Ministry of Transport, with a repayment period of 15 years, a grace period of three years, and EURIBOR interest.

Harmonize Weapons Regulations with EU Acquis

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Report of the Ministry of Security on the work of the Working Group for the harmonization of regulations on weapons and ammunition among themselves and with the legal acquis of the European Union.

Competent bodies and institutions of cantons, entities, and Brčko District of BiH are recommended to use the recommendations from this report during the drafting of laws on weapons and ammunition to achieve mutual harmonization and alignment with EU regulations, about which they will inform the Ministry of Security of BiH within one year at the latest.

The working group, formed by the current convocation of the Council of Ministers of BiH last year, provided a series of recommendations aimed at aligning BiH legislation with the EU directive from 2021 regarding the control of acquisition and possession of weapons, as well as other EU sources related to weapons and ammunition.

The recommendations regarding the harmonization of regulations in BiH with EU legislation, among other things, relate to the categorization of weapons, the validity periods of permits, and the review of conditions for possessing weapons, deactivation of firearms, as well as the establishment and maintenance of a central or decentralized computer database system.

Regarding domestic violence, the working group proposed harmonizing the provisions of weapons laws in BiH in such a way that weapons, ammunition, and weapon permits are mandatorily temporarily confiscated immediately upon reporting domestic violence and before initiating appropriate proceedings.

Management Board of the Institute for Missing Persons of BiH

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, adopted the Decision on the appointment of the Management Board of the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with nomotechnical corrections by the Office for Legislation.

Cvija Jurković, Borislav Cicović, Elvir Peštalić, Mato Jozić, Nihad Branković, and Ljiljana Bogdanović have been appointed to the Management Board for a period of four years.

They are the highest-ranked candidates in the public competition procedure conducted by the joint commission of the co-founders of the Institute for Missing Persons, which are the Council of Ministers of BiH and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

The Management Board appointed today will replace the temporary Management Board of the Institute for Missing Persons of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was appointed in 2016.

Committee and Observers of the Public Procurement Agency

The Council of Ministers of BiH made individual decisions on the appointment of members of the Committee of the Public Procurement Agency of BiH and on the appointment of observers to the Committee of the Public Procurement Agency of BiH for a mandate period of five years, in accordance with the Law on Public Procurement.

At the proposal of the Public Procurement Agency, representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH (Igor Bevanda), the ministries of finance of the entities (Ljubica Leto and Lidija Kalinić), the Directorate for European Integration (Berina Turković), and the Government of Brčko District of BiH (Senad Tufekčić) have been appointed to this committee, which consists of five members.

Mirko Bošković on behalf of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, Mersiha Jusić on behalf of the Employers' Association of the Federation of BiH, and Savo Erić on behalf of the Employers' Union of Republika Srpska have been appointed as observers to the Committee of the Agency, in accordance with the Law on Public Procurement.

The Law on Public Procurement defines that observers to the Agency's Committee are representatives of the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, employers' associations of BiH and entities, the Director of the Agency and the President of the Complaints Review Office, as well as the non-governmental sector, whose representative is selected through a public tender procedure.
Previously, due to the expiry of their mandates, decisions were made on the dismissal of members of the Committee of the Public Procurement Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and on the dismissal of observers to the Committee of the Public Procurement Agency of BiH.

Director of the Civil Aviation Directorate of BiH Appointed

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Report of the Ministry of Communications and Transport on the procedure conducted following the Public Advertisement for the selection and appointment of the Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Zorislav Ivanović has been appointed as the Director General of the Civil Aviation Directorate of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a mandate period of four years, as the best candidate in the public competition procedure conducted by the Commission appointed in accordance with the Law on Ministerial Appointments, Appointments of the Council of Ministers, and Other Appointments of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

90% of CoM BiH Conclusions Implemented

The session reviewed the Overview of the implementation of the conclusions of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 57 sessions held in the period from January 1 to December 31, 2023.

A total of 38 institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH implemented 730 out of a total of 807 adopted conclusions (90%), while 77 conclusions were not implemented.

The overview of the implementation of conclusions, prepared by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH, is accompanied by conclusions obliging the institutions and bodies of the Council of Ministers of BiH to act promptly for the more efficient implementation of all conclusions.

Resolving Administrative Matters at the State Level

The Council of Ministers of BiH, at the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, adopted the Consolidated Annual Report on the resolution of administrative matters in administrative proceedings for 2023, which is accompanied by relevant recommendations and conclusions.

The report covers 180 administrative areas within the jurisdiction of 67 administrative bodies and institutions with public authority at the state level that submitted reports, which show a high percentage of timeliness in resolving administrative matters, contrary to the general public perception of ineffective state administration.

Out of a total of 212,450 first-instance administrative proceedings covered by this report, 187,483 (88.31%) were resolved within the legal deadline, and in a significant number of first-instance cases (81.47%), the party's request was granted.

Of the 17,539 cases that were in the process of resolution last year, 5.41% were within the legal deadline, which cumulatively represents more than 93% of the total number of cases processed within the legal deadline. At the same time, 6,747 cases (3.18%) were resolved after the legal deadline expired, and 525 cases were forwarded to other bodies for processing.

According to the Report, out of a total of 6,553 second-instance administrative proceedings conducted in 2023, 4,689 or 71.56% were completed within the prescribed period, and 902 or 13.76% after the legal deadline expired, while 54 cases were forwarded to the competent authority for processing, and 920 or 14.04% were in the process of resolution.

The Administrative Inspectorate of the Ministry of Justice of BiH is tasked with conducting detailed inspection supervision in administrative bodies and institutions with public authority that have not submitted an annual report on the resolution of administrative matters in administrative proceedings in accordance with the Instruction on the method of presenting data in annual reports of BiH administrative bodies, which regulates this area, during 2024.