House of Representatives Adopts Amendments to the Law on the Foundations of Road Traffic Safety in BiH

(Patria) - At the 30th session of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, the Bill on Amendments and Additions to the Law on the Foundations of Road Traffic Safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by MP Saša Magazinović, was adopted as an urgent procedure.

The House previously adopted the proposer's request for this Bill to be considered under an urgent procedure. The House also adopted a conclusion requesting the House of Peoples of the PSBiH to consider this Bill under an urgent legislative procedure, in accordance with Article 124 of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Peoples of the PSBiH.

The House of Representatives adopted, in the first reading, the Bill on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Administrative Procedure, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

For harmonization by the Collegium of the House, due to the lack of an entity majority, the Bill on the Supplement to the Law on the Public Radio-Television Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the first reading, proposed by MPs from the SDA Club Šerif Špago, Safet Kešo, Denijal Tulumović, Šemsudin Dedić, Edin Ramić, Nermin Mandra, Midhat Čaušević, and Amor Mašović, was sent.

The House of Representatives adopted a conclusion tasking the Council of Ministers of BiH to, within 15 days of the adoption of this conclusion, prepare and submit to the House of Representatives for consideration the corrected texts of the Bill on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Industrial Design, the Bill on Trademarks, and the Bill on Patents, in a manner that restores the provisions of the current laws relating to the possibility of filing appeals against the decisions of the Institute's director, or to provide for the principle of two-instance review in terms of the functioning of the Institute's Appeals Commission, while regulating the additional obligation of the Institute's Appeals Commission to make its second-instance decisions faster and more efficiently than has been the case so far.

With the adoption of this conclusion, the Bill on Amendments and Additions to the Law on Industrial Design, B.Z.E.I., first reading, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH under an abbreviated procedure, the Bill on Trademarks, B.Z.E.I., first reading, proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH under an abbreviated procedure, and the Bill on Patents, B.Z.E.I., first reading, also proposed by the Council of Ministers of BiH under an abbreviated procedure, were withdrawn from the legislative procedure.

A conclusion was also adopted to withdraw the Bill on Road Traffic Safety in Bosnia and Herzegovina, number 02-02-1-813/25, from the legislative procedure for further refinement.

The House of Representatives adopted the negative opinion of the Committee on Finance and Budget on the Bill on Amendments to the Law on Financing of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by MP Marinko Čavara. With the adoption of the Committee's negative opinion, this Bill is considered rejected.

The Report on the implementation of public hearings of current and former Ombudsmen in the Ombudsman Institution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in relation to current arbitration proceedings, submitted to the House by the Committee on Finance and Budget and the Committee on Combating Corruption, was adopted.

Along with this Report, the following conclusions were adopted:

• The House of Representatives of the PSBiH considers that the concession, institutional, and legal process that preceded and led to the loss of over 112 million KM in an arbitration dispute before ICSID in Washington with the company Viaduct from Slovenia was accompanied by numerous irregularities. Unconscionable and inadequate conduct, as well as inaction by competent institutions, were established. Furthermore, there is suspicion of favoritism and actions detrimental to the public interest of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska entity;

• The House of Representatives of the PSBiH forwards the Report from the public hearing along with the transcript to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH. It is expected that the judicial institutions will initiate the necessary proceedings due to the well-founded suspicion of organized corrupt practices aimed against the interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Everything indicates that the goal of these actions was to favor and enable the profit of the company Viaduct from Slovenia. Given the damage already incurred by Bosnia and Herzegovina and its institutions, through asset seizure, the House of Representatives requests the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to take urgent action within its jurisdiction against all responsible persons.

This includes representatives of executive and judicial bodies, participants in the concession, as well as their domestic and international associates. The suspicion relates to participation in the process from the concession award, through its termination and court proceedings, to the final loss of the arbitration dispute (number: ARB/16/36) in Washington and the enforcement of the judgment.

The House of Representatives, at the proposal of the Committee on Combating Corruption, also adopted conclusions stating:

• Based on Article 10, in conjunction with Article 11, paragraph (2) of the Law on the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, the House of Representatives of the PSBiH requests the Prosecutor's Office of BiH to submit, as soon as possible, and no later than within 15 days, a report on the work and conduct, and the application of BiH laws in the investigation against Milorad Dodik, suspected of having committed the criminal offense of attack on the constitutional order from Article 156, paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code of BiH;

• The House of Representatives of the PSBiH tasks the Committee on Combating Corruption to, upon receiving the report from the Prosecutor's Office of BiH, analyze the report on the work and conduct of the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in this case and prepare a proposal for measures in accordance with legal regulations.

The House of Representatives adopted the parliamentary initiative of Jasmin Imamović, Saša Magazinović, Rejhana Dervišević, Albin Muslić, Ermina Salkičević Dizdarević, Denis Zvizdić, Nihad Omerović, Midhat Čaušević, Denijal Tulumović, and Zlatan Begić, by which the House of Representatives of the PSBiH, in accordance with Article 17 of the Law on the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Official Gazette of BiH", no. 38/02, 30/03, 42/03, 81/06, 76/07, 81/07, 94/07, and 24/08), tasks the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina to, without delay, adopt amendments and additions to the Framework Energy Strategy in Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Official Gazette of BiH", no. 70/18) (hereinafter: Energy Strategy) and possibly other documents adopted based on the Energy Strategy, in a manner that the gas pipeline project "Underground Gas Storage Tetima with the Kladanj-Tuzla-Tetima Gas Pipeline Connection" is omitted or deleted from these documents, and that a location that does not endanger the lives, health, and property of anyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina is selected for the purpose of natural gas storage.

Furthermore, it is requested that the authorities of the Federation of BiH entity delete the gas pipeline project "Underground Gas Storage Tetima with the Kladanj-Tuzla-Tetima Gas Pipeline Connection" as a gas storage option from the Strategy and all related documents, whether current or in preparation. This initiative tasks the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH to, without delay, prepare amendments and additions to the Energy Strategy in the manner described above and submit them to the Council of Ministers of BiH.

For harmonization by the Collegium of the House, due to the lack of an entity majority, the parliamentary initiative of Saša Magazinović was sent, which tasks the Council of Ministers of BiH to, in cooperation with the Ministry of Security of BiH, international and local partners, urgently find a new location for the accommodation of migrants currently residing in the Blažuj migrant camp, which will meet security, technical, and humanitarian standards, in the interest of citizens' safety and the preservation of public order and peace in the Ilidža area.

The Report on the Work of the Joint Committee on Administrative Affairs of the PSBiH for the period from 01/01/2024 to 12/31/2024 was adopted.

The Consolidated Annual Report on the Financial Management and Control System in the Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024, submitted by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH, was adopted. Along with this Consolidated Annual Report, the House adopted a conclusion requesting the Air Navigation Services Agency of BiH, the Archives of BiH, the Public Procurement Agency of BiH, and the State Regulatory Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety to submit their annual reports on the financial management and control system to the Central Harmonization Unit of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH in the future, in the manner and within the deadlines defined by the regulations in this area.

The House also adopted the Annual Consolidated Report of Internal Audit for 2024, submitted by the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH.

Along with this Report, a conclusion was adopted whereby the House of Representatives of the PSBiH requests the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH and the Air Navigation Services Agency of BiH to, in cooperation with the Council of Ministers of BiH, harmonize the internal organization regulations in the part related to internal audit, in order to establish internal audit in accordance with relevant regulations.

The Report on the Financial Operations of BHRT for 2024 was adopted. The House took note of the BHRT Program Report for 2024, and the BHRT Program Plan and Financial Plan for 2025.

Information on the state of migration in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024, submitted by the Ministry of Security of BiH, was also taken note of.

The House of Representatives gave consent for the ratification of:

• Loan Agreement (Sustainable, Integrated, and Safe Road Infrastructure Project) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development;

• Loan Agreement (Second Programmatic Development Policy Loan for the Health Sector) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development;

• Grant Agreement between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Investment Bank "Mediterranean Corridor: Section 5c Tunnel Kvanj – Buna in Bosnia and Herzegovina, European Fund for Sustainable Development Grant/WB-IG04-BiH-TRA-05, Contract Number (FI no.) 98144, Operational Number (Serapis no.) 2015-0773;

• Financing Agreement (European Fund for Sustainable Development – EFSD+ Special Investment Area 1) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Investment Bank – Poklečani Wind Farm, Contract Number (FI no.) 94.541, Operational Number (Serapis no.) 2022-0241.