FBiH Government adopts Draft of new Law on Price Control

(Patria) - The FBiH Government, at the proposal of the Federal Ministry for Affairs of Veterans and Disabled Veterans of the Defense-Liberation War, adopted the Decision on determining the coefficient for the calculation and payment of monthly financial existential allowance for demobilized fighters and their family members for the period October-December 2024 (4th quarter of this year).

This decision establishes a coefficient of 1 (one) for the calculation and payment of the monthly financial existential allowance for demobilized fighters and their family members for the period October-December 2024, within the Transfer for the implementation of the Law on the Rights of Demobilized Fighters and their Family Members - financial existential allowance, which is determined by the FBiH budget for 2024.

Based on this coefficient and the amount determined in Article 22 of the Law on the Rights of Demobilized Fighters and their Family Members, the amount of the monthly financial existential allowance for demobilized fighters and their family members for the period October-December 2024 will be determined, in accordance with the provisions of this law.

The decision also stipulates that this coefficient will be applied for the specified period, in accordance with the available funds in the FBiH budget for 2024.

Funds have been secured for the implementation of this decision within the Transfer for the implementation of the Law on the Rights of Demobilized Fighters and their Family Members - financial existential allowance, and the total funds in the FBiH budget for 2024 for this purpose amount to KM 61,670,100.

Draft of new Law on Price Control adopted

The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Trade, adopted the Draft Law on Price Control and sent it for further parliamentary procedure.

This legal solution regulates the manner and conditions for setting prices of products and services, control and monitoring of prices by competent authorities in the market of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as temporary price control measures in case of significant market disruptions.

It also defines the rights and obligations of competent authorities of the Federation, cantons, cities, and municipalities in exercising price control, as well as other issues significant for the area of prices.

The Federal Ministry of Trade explained in the reasons for adopting this law that the current Law on Price Control, whose basic text dates from 1995, stipulates that business companies, other legal and natural persons freely set prices of products and services according to market conditions, except for products for which a different method of price formation is determined by a special regulation.

The proposer further points out that, considering the need for a more complete and precise regulation of this area, amendments and additions to this law were not undertaken, as they would encompass more than half of the articles of the basic text, which would be contrary to the Rules for drafting laws and other regulations. It was also emphasized that during its application, it was observed that certain provisions of the current Law on Price Control are not clearly defined enough, and it was assessed that they should be regulated more precisely for easier application.

It was explained that the innovations brought by the Draft of the new Law on Price Control relate to a more precise regulation of the powers of the federal ministries of trade, and energy, mining, and industry related to the preparation of proposals for temporary price control measures.

Then, it more precisely defines what constitutes a significant market disruption, and temporary price control measures for certain products and services are further specified. The temporality of the prescribed measures that the Federal Ministry of Trade proposes to the FBiH Government is also emphasized, and it is foreseen that they will last for a maximum of six months, with the possibility of extending them for another six months exceptionally in order to achieve the intended effects.

Products and services for which, in accordance with this law, cantons, cities, and municipalities can prescribe temporary price control measures are also specified. The composition of the Price Council, as well as the subject of its work, and the obligation of this council to provide recommendations for eliminating the causes and consequences of market disruptions are more precisely defined.

Furthermore, it is stipulated that administrative supervision over the application of this law and regulations adopted based on this law is carried out by the Ministry, and inspection supervision by federal market, tourism-catering inspectors and cantonal, city, and municipal market inspectors, each within their jurisdiction.

On the sale of apartments

The FBiH Government determined today, at the proposal of the Federal Ministry of Spatial Planning, the Draft Law on Amendments and Additions to the Law on the Sale of Apartments with Tenancy Rights.

The proposer explained that these amendments and additions to the Law implement the decisions of the Constitutional Court of BiH, the Constitutional Court of the Federation of BiH, as well as the European Court of Human Rights. The draft law removes the violation of the right to local self-government.

It is also stipulated that the holder of rights from a sales contract who concluded a legally binding contract under Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the Law, and who left the apartment in FBiH and subsequently acquired new tenancy rights or rights equivalent to those rights from the same housing stock or newly established housing stocks of the armed forces of the states formed from the former SFRY, has their apartment purchase contract in the Federation of BiH terminated upon acquiring a new apartment and has no right to the return of the apartment, nor the right to register ownership of that apartment.

At the same time, the holder of rights from a sales contract who concluded a legally binding contract under Article 39, Paragraph 1 of the Law, and who remained in service in the armed forces outside the territory of BiH after December 14, 1995, and did not acquire new tenancy rights or rights equivalent to those rights, instead of registering ownership under the concluded contract, is entitled to compensation from the Federation of BiH of KM 1,000 per square meter of the apartment, reduced by depreciation at a rate of one percent per year.

The holder of rights from a legally binding contract whose request for the return of the apartment was rejected also has the right to the aforementioned compensation.

The holder of tenancy rights or a member of their family household who did not conclude a legally binding apartment purchase contract and who did not acquire new tenancy rights or rights equivalent to those rights, and whose request for the return of the apartment was rejected in accordance with Article 3a of the Law on the Cessation of Application of the Law on Abandoned Apartments, is entitled to compensation from the Federation of BiH.

The holder of tenancy rights or a member of their family household who did not conclude a legally binding apartment purchase contract, but who acquired new tenancy rights or rights equivalent to those rights, is not entitled to the return of the apartment, nor to compensation from the FBiH.

Compensation will be paid in two equal annual installments, and the request for compensation must be submitted within six months from the date of entry into force of this law.