Increased fees for court-appointed lawyers in criminal proceedings before the Court of BiH

(Patria) - The 64th session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in Sarajevo today.

Seventh Capital Increase

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, adopted the Decision on accepting the seventh capital increase of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Council of Europe Development Bank.

Bosnia and Herzegovina will allocate 2,123,083 euros for the acceptance of the capital increase and the subscription of new shares, and this amount will be paid to the Council of Europe Development Bank in four equal annual installments of 530,770.75 euros from 2024 to 2028, thereby maintaining BiH's current share in the total capital of this bank.

Economic Reforms

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Directorate for Economic Planning, adopted the Activity Plan of the Economic Reforms Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ERP BiH) for the period 2025-2027.

In this way, a roadmap of activities for the competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been defined, necessary for the preparation and adoption of the ERP BiH, a three-year strategic document that supports economic and financial dialogue between the EU and candidate countries.

The Economic Reforms Program of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2025-2027 is planned to be submitted to the European Commission by January 15, 2025.

The proposal for a grant agreement, along with the Basis for concluding the agreement, will be submitted to the Presidency of BiH for further procedure, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury of BiH has been proposed as the signatory.

On the stay of professional drivers in the EU

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the second Information from the Ministry of Communications and Transport regarding the issue of limited stay for drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU during international road transport of passengers and goods.

The Ministries of Transport and Communications, Security, and Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been tasked with preparing information that will include an initiative for a joint request from the Western Balkan countries to the European Union for the exemption of drivers from the limited stay provision in its territory during international road transport of passengers and goods, which could be discussed at the upcoming Summit of Western Balkan and EU leaders in December.

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the first Information on the issue of the limited number of days of stay for drivers from Bosnia and Herzegovina in the EU during international road transport of passengers and goods at its 53rd session, held on June 27, 2024, when the competent state ministries of communications and transport, security, and foreign affairs were tasked with initiating activities with EU officials to resolve this issue.

Although the competent BiH ministers have initiated and are continuously conducting bilateral activities with representatives of the competent institutions of the European Commission, this problem has not yet been resolved, and the control of drivers from BiH in the EU is becoming increasingly complicated ahead of the announced introduction of the Entry/Exit System (EES) at the end of the current year.

Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom, and Security

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 Justice, Freedom, and Security between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for December 10 and 11 in Brussels.

The Discussion Document is an integral part of the Information, and topics to be discussed include judicial reform, law enforcement and judicial cooperation, fundamental rights, freedom of expression, policies to combat corruption and organized crime, as well as the implementation of BiH's Strategy for the Prevention and Fight against Terrorism.

The Directorate for European Integration of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with the competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, will carry out all necessary actions for holding the eighth meeting of the Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom, and Security between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Digitalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Proposal for signing the Agreement on the Implementation of Technical Cooperation Projects "Innovations and Digitalization of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in BiH - Phase II," which will be submitted to the Presidency of BiH for decision-making, and the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations has been proposed as the BiH signatory.

This project aims to provide access to digital innovations for small and medium-sized enterprises in export-oriented sectors and to strengthen their capacities for participation in digital and technological innovations, while improving the framework policy for their digital ecosystem.

The European Union has provided five million euros for this project, while Germany has made available up to 3.6 million euros, including the costs of the German implementing organization.

The project is part of the EU4SMEs program for the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises, with a total value of 14 million euros.

Earlier, the European Union concluded a Contribution Agreement with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, which is the implementing organization of this project.

"Denis Mrnjavac" Award

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees, adopted Decisions on awarding the "Denis Mrnjavac" Award for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence for 2024.

The award is given as recognition to students from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, and the Brčko District of BiH who have contributed to the promotion of human rights, tolerance, and mutual respect among young people.

From the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the award was given to high school student Dani Husić, and from the Brčko District of BiH, also to high school student Jelena Tošić.

Awarded students receive a sculpture and a special recognition in the form of a plaque.

At the same time, the schools of the awarded students, JU "Center for Blind and Visually Impaired Children and Youth Sarajevo" and JU "Agricultural and Medical School Brčko," received special recognitions in the form of plaques.

The award was not given for Republika Srpska this year because no proposals for awarding the prize were submitted.

Fees for lawyers

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Justice, adopted the Decision on Amendments and Supplements to the Decision on Compensation of Costs in Criminal Proceedings according to the Law on Criminal Procedure of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which increases the fees for court-appointed lawyers in criminal proceedings before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The reasons for adopting this decision are the increase in the costs of legal services and the rise in the inflation rate, as well as the fact that the fees for court-appointed lawyers have not been changed since 2004.

It should be particularly noted that criminal proceedings for the most serious criminal offenses, including war crimes and organized crime, are conducted before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the fee for representation is lower than that for representation before district and cantonal courts in the entities.

The Decision on Amendments and Supplements to the Decision on Compensation of Costs in Criminal Proceedings according to the Law on Criminal Procedure of Bosnia and Herzegovina provides for an increase in the value of the point from 3 to 4 KM for fees for court-appointed defense counsel.

Furthermore, it provides for compensation for lost time for lawyers whose law office is located more than 50 kilometers from the seat of the Court of BiH or the place where a specific criminal procedure is being carried out, at a rate of 10 points for each hour of travel started.

The reason is to achieve equality between lawyers whose offices are located in Sarajevo and other lawyers who lose significant time due to travel to the Court of BiH.

It is estimated that an additional 185,000 KM needs to be secured in the budget for 2025 for the implementation of this decision.

The decision enters into force on the day it is adopted and is published in the Official Gazette of BiH, and will apply from January 1, 2025.

Citizenship for Baždara

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Decision on acquiring citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina for Serbian citizen Samed Baždara, a footballer for the Spanish team FC Zaragoza and a potential player for the 'A' national football team of BiH, upon the recommendation of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Consent for appointment

The Council of Ministers of BiH gave consent for the appointment of Ugur Ucan to the position of Military-Administrative Attaché of the Republic of Turkey in Bosnia and Herzegovina.