Laws on Wine and Foreigners on the Agenda of the Extraordinary Session of the House of Representatives of the PSBiH

(Patria) - Representatives of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH) will consider amendments to the Law on Foreigners and the Bill on the Organization of the Wine Market in BiH at an extraordinary session today.

These laws confirm the appropriate alignment with European Union regulations in the areas of migration and the wine market, as stated by the Council of Ministers, which proposed that both legal solutions be considered under an urgent legislative procedure.

Regarding the Law on Foreigners, it transposes four EU regulations adopted from 2016 to 2021 in the process of continuous harmonization of BiH regulations with EU legal acquis.

The amendments to the law aim to facilitate the stay of digital nomads in BiH, and the intention of the BiH Council of Ministers is to further extend their stay in BiH, which is why the possibility of amending the law in this direction has been announced.

The law is being harmonized with EU regulations relating to visa issuance, permanent and temporary residence, education, research, participation in exchange programs, professional practice, volunteering, employment of highly qualified workers, and work based on a blue card, as well as on humanitarian grounds.

Given the importance of the wine sector in agriculture and rural development, the Bill on the Organization of the Wine Market in BiH aims to ensure greater competitiveness and better access for producers from BiH to European and world markets, with improved conditions for wine production. It also specifies provisions on grape and wine production.

A significant part of the law relates to the systematic regulation of areas related to geographical indications, as well as the labeling, presentation, and advertising of wine products, and their placement on the market, their supervision and control, including provisions on organic wines, aromatized wine products, and fruit wines.

The solutions proposed in this law will have a multifaceted positive impact on grape and wine producers and their full registration for conducting business, as well as on consumers who will have a comprehensive insight into the quality of domestic wines on the market, stated the Council of Ministers.

Opposition party representatives from Republika Srpska in the House of Representatives of the PSBiH have requested the National Assembly of Republika Srpska to declare its position on the Law on Wine, claiming that this law means the transfer of competencies from the entity to the state, which, in their opinion, is not in accordance with the Constitution of BiH.

Also on the session's agenda is the Proposal for a Resolution on preventing all forms of violence against women and harassment of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by representatives of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) of BiH.

The Resolution condemns all forms of violence against women and harassment of women and calls on competent judicial bodies to take urgent measures regarding the prosecution of offenses related to violence against women.

With this document, if adopted at today's session, representatives would request the Council of Ministers and other competent authorities to proceed with the development of documents related to defining the framework of policies and measures for the protection and assistance of all victims of violence against women.

The Resolution proposes to proceed with amendments to criminal legislation in a way that defines femicide as a specific criminal offense, considering that it is the most extreme manifestation of violence directed against women based on their gender identity.