Council of Ministers of BiH session: Will the Reform Agenda be adopted today ahead of Marta Kos's official visit?

(Patria) - The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is expected to consider information on activities based on the Council of Ministers' conclusion from its 56th extraordinary session held on June 27 this year (Information on the implementation of activities for the harmonization of the Reform Agenda of Bosnia and Herzegovina), along with the accompanying Reform Agenda and List of Reforms, at today's session.

At its 56th extraordinary telephone session at the end of June, the Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Draft List of Reforms and the Draft Reform Agenda, along with all comments received from the Working Team members, and tasked the competent ministries within the Council of Ministers of BiH, together with all competent ministries at other levels, to continue activities on harmonizing comments with the aim of finalizing the text of the Reform Agenda, in accordance with constitutional competencies.

At the extraordinary telephone session on September 11, the Council of Ministers of BiH did not have a quorum to work and decide on the agenda, which included the proposed Information on activities based on the Council of Ministers' conclusion from the 56th extraordinary telephone session, relating to the harmonization of the text of the Reform Agenda and the List of Reforms. There were eight votes for the proposed item, while two members of the Council of Ministers of BiH (ministers from RS, Srđan Amidžić and Staša Košarac) did not vote.

At the eighth Stabilization and Association Council meeting between the EU and BiH, held on September 11 this year in Sarajevo, the European Commission called on the BiH authorities to adopt and submit the BiH Reform Plan, and it was reiterated that if the Plan is not submitted by the end of September, there will be a reduction in the allocation for an additional 10 percent from the Western Balkans Growth Plan.

As a reminder, in July, the European Commission informed the domestic authorities about a 10 percent reduction in indicative allocations for Bosnia and Herzegovina within the Western Balkans Growth Plan. The country now meets the conditions for funds worth up to 976.6 million euros instead of 1.085 billion euros, the EU Delegation to BiH announced at the time.

Next week, Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, will visit BiH, so the adoption of the Reform Agenda would be a step forward on the European path.

The Council of Ministers of BiH should also consider the Conclusion of the Presidency of BiH from an extraordinary session held on September 10, which relates to the Draft Law on the Budget of Institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina and International Obligations of BiH for 2025. That conclusion tasks the Council of Ministers of BiH to prepare and submit the Law on the Budget of Institutions of BiH and International Obligations of BiH for 2025 to the Presidency of BiH within five days, in accordance with the Conclusions of the Presidency of BiH of August 19, 2025, so that it can be sent for consideration and adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH as soon as possible.

A Proposal for the appointment of a deputy director of the State Investigation and Protection Agency should also be before the state ministers. The proposal is for this to be Dragan Andrić, but it is difficult to expect this appointment to pass today without resolving the situation with Darko Ćulum, who returned to the position of director after four months of resignation. His term expired in July 2024, and although the competition procedure was carried out, a new director was never appointed. Ćulum, Ljubiša Pandurević, and Slobodan Radinković are on the list of successful candidates. However, without ministers from SNSD, this appointment cannot be realized, and they refuse to appoint a deputy director of SIPA until a director is appointed.

Among other things, the Proposal for the Medium-Term Work Program of the Council of Ministers of BiH 2026–2028, as well as the Reports on the Work of the Institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH for 2024, should be considered.

Marked as 'confidential', the consideration of the Report on the participation of members of the Armed Forces of BiH and police officers in peacekeeping operations, for the period from January 1 to June 30, 2025, is scheduled as the last item on the agenda.

Numerous reports on the work of institutions for 2024 are also on the agenda.