Council of Ministers of BiH to discuss draft "European laws" on Court and HJPC on February 25

(Patria) - The 71st session of the Council of Ministers of BiH was held in Sarajevo today.

Just Transition Project

The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury and appointed a delegation to conduct negotiations for the conclusion of a Loan Agreement (Just Transition Project in Selected Coal-Rich Regions of BiH) between BiH and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

The project aims to provide support for access to a just transition in selected coal-rich regions in the FBiH, while raising awareness about the upcoming transition process in Zenica, Tuzla, and Banovići and its positive impacts in numerous areas.

The project will be supported by an IBRD loan in the amount of 84,070,000 US dollars, and will be allocated to the Federation of BiH, with the final debtors being the Federation of BiH - 47.48%, JP Elektroprivreda BiH - 19.80%, and RMU Banovići - 32.72%.

The exact loan terms will be defined during negotiations, with a maximum loan maturity of up to 35 years, including a grace period of up to 19 years.

After the negotiations are completed, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury will submit the Proposal of this agreement to the Council of Ministers of BiH.

Ruling in the 'Viaduct' case

At the session, the Prosecutor's Office of BiH was tasked with urgently submitting to the Council of Ministers of BiH information with a proposal for further and hitherto undertaken activities to protect the legal and financial interests of Bosnia and Herzegovina regarding the implementation of the ICSID Tribunal's Ruling in the case of Viaduct d.o.o. Portorož, Vladimir Zevnik and Boris Goljevšček v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, in light of the signed Agreement on mutual rights and obligations concerning the arbitration proceedings in this case between the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of RS.

We remind that the Council of Ministers of BiH and the Government of RS previously concluded an agreement on mutual rights and obligations concerning this arbitration proceeding, by which the Government of RS undertook to unconditionally fulfill its payment obligations according to the ruling rendered in the arbitration proceeding on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon receipt of a documented request from the Prosecutor's Office of BiH.

In accordance with the ruling of April 18, 2022, which the legal representatives of the plaintiffs previously submitted to the Prosecutor's Office of BiH on behalf of the defendant Bosnia and Herzegovina, the total costs of this arbitration proceeding amount to 52,794,412 euros, with interest accruing on a daily basis from the date the decision becomes final.

Financing Agreement

The Council of Ministers of BiH will declare itself at the next session on the Proposal of the Financing Agreement for the Annual Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2024 between the European Union, represented by the European Commission, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, represented by the Directorate for European Integration of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the Directorate for European Integration declares itself on the proposed corrections to the conclusions considered at today's session.

Defense Attaché of Greece

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, gave consent for the appointment of Colonel Athanasios Gkarelis to the position of Defense Attaché of Greece in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Appointments and Public Competition

The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Security, adopted the Decision on the appointment of Ankica Tomić, as a representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the MARRI Regional Center, Regional Forum on Migration, Asylum and Return Initiative for Refugees for a period of four years, starting from March 1, 2025.

Upon the proposal of the Ministry of Security, a conclusion was adopted to send Predrag Mirnić as the Liaison Officer of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the SECI/SELEC Center in Bucharest for a mandate period of two years, starting from March 15, 2025.

At the same time, the Assistant Minister of Security of BiH, Ermin Pešto, was appointed as the National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration, starting from March 15, 2025, with the task of coordinating activities related to human trafficking with relevant domestic and international institutions.

The Council of Ministers of BiH tasked the Ministry of Finance and Treasury to carry out the procedure for the election of a member of the Management Board of the Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNO BiH Management Board) from among experts, in accordance with regulations, and to submit the proposal to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for a decision, given that none of the two candidates in the competition procedure conducted in 2021 received the support of the Council of Ministers of BiH for appointment.

The Council of Ministers of BiH announced that the next session will be held on February 25, 2025, when the consideration of the draft "European laws" on the Court of BiH and the new text of the law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina are planned.