Council of Ministers of BiH without agreement on Conflict of Interest Law, new attempt tomorrow

(Patria) - The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina met in Sarajevo today.

After the session, it was announced that the Council of Ministers of BiH will declare itself on the Draft Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest in institutions at the BiH level with a new text after it urgently receives an opinion from the BiH Legislative Office, which is working intensively in consultation with the proposer of this law - the BiH Ministry of Justice.

The Istraga.ba portal announced on its X account that the consideration and vote of the Council of Ministers on this legal proposal has been postponed until tomorrow.

The Council of Ministers of BiH failed to reach an agreement on the conflict of interest law today. The consideration and vote on this document has been postponed until tomorrow, as learned by @IstragaB

— Istraga.ba (@IstragaB) March 4, 2024

Proactive Transparency

At the session, the Information of the Public Administration Reform Coordinator's Office on the fifth online survey on the application of the Policy and Standards of Proactive Transparency was adopted, and a harmonized conclusion was made to improve proactive transparency in the institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH.

The fifth online survey conducted among 65 institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina from April 8 to May 18, 2023, showed that the average fulfillment of proactive transparency standards is 72.27%, which is an improvement compared to 2022, when the fulfillment of standards was 68.23%.

The survey on the availability of data on the websites of state-level institutions and bodies included a set of questions covering strategic, operational, financial, and public procurement information, freedom of access to information, anti-corruption, and other information of public importance.

The Policy and Standards of Proactive Transparency were adopted by the Council of Ministers of BiH in December 2018.

Earlier, the Council of Ministers of BiH extended the validity period of the Strategic Framework for Public Administration Reform in BiH 2018-2022 and the accompanying action plan by five years, along with individual deadlines shifted to 2027.

Public Administration Reform

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Public Administration Reform Coordinator's Office, adopted the semi-annual Report on Progress January - June 2023, which relates to the implementation of the Action Plan of the Strategic Framework for Public Administration Reform in BiH.

The semi-annual measurement of the achieved progress in the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Action Plan showed that by the beginning of July last year, 14.31% of activities were implemented, which is 0.31% more than at the end of 2022.

5.39% of activities were partially implemented, and the percentage of unimplemented activities increased to 80.30%.

Observing the fulfillment of indicators for the entire BiH, a total of 6.61% of activities were fulfilled, while 8.09% were partially fulfilled.

State, entity, and Brčko District of BiH institutions are involved in the implementation of the Action Plan, and the outlined activities are carried out in six reform areas and include policy development and coordination, public finance management, civil service and human resource management, accountability, better service delivery and quality, and digitalization in service delivery.

Accession to the International Olive Council

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the International Olive Council (IOC) based in Madrid (Spain).

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations is obliged to continue activities towards the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the International Olive Council.

The information contains activities that have been carried out since the Council of Ministers of BiH previously initiated the procedure for accession to the IOC, with the aim of supporting the further development of olive growing in BiH and consumer protection in this area.

By acceding to the IOC, Bosnia and Herzegovina will adopt standards in this area included in the European Union regulations, which is significant not only for EU membership but also for the development of sustainable and responsible olive growing in BiH.
In addition to aligning legislation with the EU in this area, IOC membership encourages the removal of trade barriers, intensification of technical cooperation on research and development projects in the production of olive oil and olive pomace oil, and table olives.

It also promotes product quality control, international trade, and the suppression of fraudulent practices and counterfeiting to protect consumers.

Energy Strategy

The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Report of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations on the implementation of the Indicative Energy Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2035.

The report contains information on activities undertaken during 2022 and 2023, with the aim of implementing and realizing all five goals of the Indicative Energy Strategy of Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2035, which include efficient resource use, secure and affordable energy, efficient energy use, energy transition and environmental responsibility, and the development and harmonization of the regulatory-institutional framework, as well as planned activities during the next period.

At the same time, all elements of the energy sector are included, from individual sectors (coal, oil, gas, electricity, heating, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources) to legal, organizational, and institutional aspects important for the successful operation and development of energy in the reporting period.

Among the planned activities is the updating of the existing Indicative Energy Strategy of BiH until 2035 and its alignment with the goals of the European Union due to the new EU energy and climate policy.

According to the report, the power system of BiH operated stably and without major problems during 2022 and 2023. The difference between total production and consumption in Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e., the balance surplus in 2022, amounted to 2,978 GWh, which, along with Bulgaria, places BiH among the only countries in Southeast Europe with a surplus in its electricity balance.

BiH Citizenship for Samardžić

The Council of Ministers of BiH made a Decision on acquiring citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina for Hamza Samardžić, a citizen of the Republic of Austria, of Bosnian-Herzegovinian origin.

The recommendation for admission to BiH citizenship was given by the Football Association of BiH because he is an athlete of particular benefit to BiH and a potential national team player for the men's 'A' national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Polio Commission

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, made a Decision on amending the Decision on establishing the Commission of Experts for Polio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the aim of ensuring continuity in its work.

Appointed as members of the Commission are Dunja Pejović from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Assistant Professor Dr. Sci. Med. Nina Rodić Vukmir from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Republika Srpska, Dr. Feriha Hadžagić Ćatibušić from the Federal Ministry of Health, and Mr. Sci. Med. Prim. Dr. Anđa Nikolić from the Department of Health and Other Services of Brčko District of BiH.

New members will replace previous ones who have taken on new responsibilities and are no longer able to represent these institutions in the Commission of Experts for Polio in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Previously, a Decision on amending the Decision on establishing the Commission for Certification of Polio Eradication in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a professional body at the BiH level, was made.

Appointed to the Commission are: Mirha Ošijan, on behalf of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Dr. Mia Blažević on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Jelena Đaković Dević, on behalf of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Republika Srpska, and Dr. Jasmina Čehić Ljaljić from the Department of Health and Other Services of Brčko District of BiH.

AKR Council

The Council of Ministers of BiH considered the List of the 14 most successful candidates in the procedure for appointing members of the Council of the Communications Regulatory Agency of BiH (RAK), upon the proposal of the Ad hoc Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH for conducting this appointment procedure.

In accordance with the Law on Communications, the Council of Ministers of BiH determined the Draft List of seven candidates, which the Ministry of Communications and Transport will submit to the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH for the appointment procedure.

The proposed list includes: Tomislav Volarić, Tanja Andrić, Iza Razija Mešević, Vjekoslav Čerkez, Damir Šehanović, Alma Čolo, and Zoran Žuža.