House of Representatives of PSBiH adopts amendments to the Law on Identity Card and Criminal Code of BiH in the first reading and by shortened procedure

(Patria) - At the 39th session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH (PSBiH), the Law on Amendments to the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of BiH, proposed by the House of Peoples of PSBiH, was adopted as an urgent procedure.

The House of Representatives previously adopted the request of the House of Peoples, as the proposer, to consider this Bill by urgent procedure.

The House, by urgent procedure, adopted the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representatives Rejhana Dervišević and Mira Pekić.

The House previously adopted the proposer's request to consider this Bill by urgent procedure.

The House of Representatives also adopted a conclusion requesting the House of Peoples to consider this Bill by urgent legislative procedure, in accordance with Article 124 of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Peoples of PSBiH.

The House, in the first reading and by shortened procedure, adopted the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Identity Cards of Citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representatives Saša Magazinović and Denis Zvizdić.

In the first reading and by shortened procedure, the Bill on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representative Branislav Borenović, was also adopted.

In the first reading and by shortened procedure, the Bill on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Court of Appeals of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representative Predrag Kojović, was also adopted.

A proposal for a conclusion of the Constitutional-Legal Committee of the House of Representatives, due to the lack of an entity majority, was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization, obliging the proposer to, after the adoption of the Bill in the House of Representatives in the first reading, within 10 days before the start of the second phase before the competent committee, eliminate all normative-technical deficiencies in the Bill that are stated in the Opinion of the Legislative-Legal Sector of the Secretariat of PSBiH of 04.03.2026. and submit the corrected text of the Bill to the Constitutional-Legal Committee and the House of Representatives of PSBiH.

In the first reading and by shortened procedure, the House of Representatives also adopted the Bill on the Protection of Geographical Indications (P.Z.E.I.), proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

A proposal for a conclusion of the Constitutional-Legal Committee of the House of Representatives, due to the lack of an entity majority, was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization, obliging the proposer to, after the adoption of the Bill in the House of Representatives in the first reading, within 10 days before the start of the second phase before the competent committee, eliminate all normative-technical deficiencies in the Bill that are stated in the Opinion of the Legislative-Legal Sector of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH of 04.03.2026. and submit the corrected text of the Bill to the Constitutional-Legal Committee and the House of Representatives of PSBiH.

The House of Representatives adopted, in the first reading and by shortened procedure, the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Labor in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Due to the lack of an entity majority, a proposal for a conclusion of the Constitutional-Legal Committee of the House of Representatives was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization, obliging the proposer to, after the adoption of the Bill in the House of Representatives in the first reading, within 10 days before the start of the second phase before the competent committee, eliminate all normative-technical deficiencies in the Bill that are stated in the Opinion of the Legislative-Legal Sector of the Secretariat of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH of 04.03.2026. and submit the corrected text of the Bill to the Constitutional-Legal Committee and the House of Representatives of PSBiH.

The Report on achieving an identical text of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Salaries and Benefits in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, submitted by the Joint Committee of both Houses for Harmonization of the Text of the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Salaries and Benefits in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was adopted.

A proposal for a Bill on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first reading, proposed by representative Predrag Kojović, by shortened procedure, was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization due to the lack of an entity majority.

Due to the lack of an entity majority, a proposal for Amendments to the Law on Citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first reading, proposed by representative Jasmin Imamović, by shortened procedure, was also sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization.

An amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of PSBiH, proposed by representative Denis Zvizdić, was adopted by urgent procedure. The House previously adopted the proposer's request to consider the Proposal for Amendments to the Rules of Procedure by urgent procedure.

An amendment to the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives of PSBiH, proposed by representative Aida Baručija, was also adopted by urgent procedure. The House previously adopted the proposer's request to consider the Proposal for Amendments to the Rules of Procedure by urgent procedure.

After the discussion on the agenda item titled "Reaction of the House of Representatives of PSBiH to the alarming increase in femicides, call for joint work and coordination", proposed for the agenda by representative Saša Magazinović, the House of Representatives adopted the following conclusions:

1. The House of Representatives of PSBiH expresses deep concern over the frequent cases of femicide and violence against women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, strongly condemns all forms of gender-based violence, and emphasizes the need for the protection of the lives and safety of victims to be a priority for all competent institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina;

2. The House of Representatives of PSBiH calls on the Minister of Justice of BiH to convene a coordinating meeting of representatives of all relevant institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the task of exchanging views on a comprehensive institutional response to violence against women and domestic violence, including identifying shortcomings in victim protection, strengthening the preventive and criminal justice response, and possible models of coordination and mutual assistance between competent institutions while fully respecting competencies;

3. The House of Representatives of PSBiH calls on the governments of Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to establish stronger mutual coordination in the area of preventing violence against women, exchanging data and harmonizing institutional protection measures.

At the same time, it calls on the gender centers of RS and FBiH to take a more active role, coordinate the activities of competent institutions, and monitor cases of gender-based violence and femicide;

4. The House of Representatives of PSBiH tasks the Institution of the Ombudsmen for Human Rights of BiH with preparing a special report on the retrospective analysis of all cases of femicide in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last three years, with an analysis of institutional actions, identification of potential shortcomings in the victim protection system, and development of recommendations for improving prevention, protection, and accountability of competent institutions;

5. The House of Representatives of PSBiH tasks the Committee on Gender Equality with holding a thematic session on domestic violence and the increasing occurrence of femicide, with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Human Rights of BiH, the Agency for Gender Equality, and the gender centers of FBiH and RS, and to inform the House of Representatives at the next session about the adopted conclusions aimed at improving coordination and concrete measures to respond to violence;

6. The House of Representatives of PSBiH supports strengthening the work of social work centers, police, judiciary, and safe houses, with the aim of more effective victim protection and prevention of new cases of violence.

The House of Representatives adopted the proposal of representative Šemsudin Mehmedović to supplement the agenda of the session with an item titled "Convening and holding sessions of the House of Representatives of PSBiH in accordance with Article 66, Paragraph (3) of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives".

The House adopted the initiative of representative Nihad Omerović to review the procedure for implementing the Public Advertisement for filling management positions of civil servants in the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, published on 13.06.2025 on the website of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH.

Along with this initiative, the House adopted the following conclusions:

1. The House of Representatives requests the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to review the entire procedure of the Public Advertisement for filling management positions of civil servants in the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, published on 13.06.2025 on the website of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH;

2. The Committee for Combating Corruption of the House of Representatives of PSBiH and the Joint Committee for Human Rights of PSBiH are tasked with reviewing, each within their jurisdiction, the entire procedure of the Public Advertisement for filling management positions of civil servants in the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, published on 13.06.2025 on the website of the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH. In accordance with the above, a public hearing of all actors in this procedure is requested in order to consider the circumstances and for the committees, in accordance with their competencies, to determine any illegality and violations of the Constitution of BiH.

The reports on the work of the committees of the House of Representatives of PSBiH for 2025 were adopted, namely:

• Report on the work of the Committee on Transport and Communications;

• Report on the work of the Committee on Foreign Trade and Customs;

• Report on the work of the Committee on Foreign Affairs;

• Report on the work of the Constitutional-Legal Committee;

• Report on the work of the Committee on Gender Equality;

• Report on the work of the Committee for Combating Corruption;

• Report on the work of the Committee on Finance and Budget.

Due to the absence of the proposer, the House of Representatives postponed the discussion on the Information on the work of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH for 2025.

After the discussion on the Reform Agenda, submitted by the Council of Ministers of BiH, a proposal for a conclusion by representative Jasmin Emrić was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization, due to the lack of an entity majority, which reads:

"The House of Representatives of PSBiH tasks the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to, within 30 days, update the timeline for the implementation of those steps of the reform components contained in the thematic areas of the Reform Agenda policies whose implementation was planned for the past year 2025 and the first half of the current year 2026, and which have not been realized".

Regarding the agenda item titled "Implementation of the initiative of the House of Representatives of PSBiH by which the House of Representatives obliges the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina to, in accordance with the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, take measures against the Director of the Agency for Promotion of Foreign Investments Marko Kubatlija, a senior civil servant, because he was the holder of the list of candidates of the Democratic People's Alliance for the Municipal Assembly of Pale in the 2024 Local Elections", a proposal for conclusions by representative Šemsudin Mehmedović was sent to the Collegium of the House for harmonization, due to the lack of an entity majority, which read:

1. The House of Representatives of PSBiH obliges the Minister of Justice of BiH Davor Bunoza to submit to the House of Representatives within 15 days a detailed information on why the Ministry of Justice of BiH, even after 16 months from the adoption of the initiative of the House of Representatives, has not acted in accordance with Article 50, Paragraph (1), point n) of the Law on Civil Service in the Institutions of BiH and has not made a decision by which Marko Kubatlija is dismissed from the position of Director of the Agency for Promotion of Foreign Investments;

2. The House of Representatives of PSBiH tasks the Secretary of the House of Representatives Dražen Mustapić to submit to the House within 20 days information on the implementation of all initiatives adopted by the House of Representatives from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2025.

The House of Representatives adopted the Decision on Amending the Decision on Appointing Members of the Standing Committees of the House of Representatives of PSBiH. With this Decision, representatives Edin Ramić, Denis Zvizdić, Elvisa Hodžić, Vlatko Glavaš, Albin Muslić, Sabina Ćudić, Marinko Čavara, Darko Babalj, and Milan Petković were appointed to the Committee for Cooperation with the Diaspora.

The House of Representatives gave consent for the ratification of:

• Grant Agreement (WB-IG10-BIH-ENV-03) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Investment Bank - Water Supply and Sewerage Republika Srpska II, investment in the municipalities of Doboj, Gradiška, Laktaši, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Teslić, Trebinje, Vukosavlje, Rogatica, Nevesinje, Istočna Ilidža, Novi Grad, Milići, Čelinac and Zvornik, contract number (FI number): 99599, operation number (Serapis number): 2018-0281;

• Protocol on the Elimination of Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, adopted by consensus on November 12, 2012, at the fifth session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control;

• Loan Agreement (Road Asset Management Improvement Project in the Federation as part of the Investment Program for Construction, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Main Roads in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, loan number: 9925-BA;

• Loan Agreement (Additional Financing for the Geospatial Infrastructure Improvement and Property Valuation Project) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, loan number 9956-BA.