Session of the Council of Ministers of BiH on March 4, will at least one agreed 'European' law be on the agenda

(Patria) - On Monday, March 4, a session of the Council of Ministers of BiH will be held. The published agenda does not include a single law. As was said after the meeting of coalition partners on Tuesday in Mostar, there is a possibility that by that session they might eventually reach an agreement on the Law on Conflict of Interest.

The EU Delegation today welcomed everything that was adopted, but clearly emphasized that two key laws, which EU officials insisted on during their visits to BiH, have not been adopted. These are the Law on Courts and the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest.

The President of SNSD, Milorad Dodik, said on Tuesday that the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest could go into procedure, so on Monday it will be clear whether an agreement has been reached during these few days if it appears on the session of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

The President of HDZ BiH, Dragan Čović, said today that these two laws, as well as the Election Law, have not been fully harmonized.

"There is a possibility that on Monday or Tuesday we will give a signal that we have reached a certain level of harmonization and then the Council of Ministers will adopt those proposals," Čović told reporters in Banja Luka, adding that everything has come down to two or three days.

The EU Delegation reminded the authorities that the laws must be adopted before the European Council meeting on March 21 and 22, if BiH wants to obtain accession negotiations with the EU.

"What we do not do, we leave enough space for others to interfere. I am convinced that BiH will not be functional until the executive and legislative authorities, the political authority in BiH elected by the people, take responsibility for themselves and make decisions. That way we will probably close the door to those who think they can do other things by imposition or in some other way," said Čović.

When it comes to amendments to the Election Law of BiH, at least those related to improving the voting process and preventing manipulation of voting materials, the coalition has no agreement on that either. HDZ demands that this segment, along with the election of CIK members and the election of members of the Presidency of BiH, be considered as a package.

However, High Representative Christian Schmidt already in December called on the authorities to adopt the integrity package as soon as possible, or he would have to act.

When it comes to the Law on Courts, the seat of the Appellate Division of the Court of BiH is still a point of contention. While the parties of the troika agree that it should be in East Sarajevo, SNSD demands that it be located in Banja Luka.