House of Peoples of BiH PS convenes: Numerous laws on the agenda, will the session be possible?

(Patria) - The House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold its 22nd emergency session today, where a number of legal proposals and decisions of importance for defense, police, judiciary, finance, and international cooperation are to be considered. The session begins at 1 PM.

If, as in previous sessions, amendments to the agenda are requested and delegates are asked to vote, the possibility that today's session will also be doomed to failure cannot be ruled out.

On the agenda is a proposal for amendments to the Law on Service in the Armed Forces of BiH, which will be considered under an expedited procedure, and it provides for an increase in the age limit for professional military service from 40 to 45 years.

The Council of Ministers previously explained that this aims to alleviate the shortage of personnel and enable more flexible career management for soldiers.

The Law on the Armed Forces of BiH stipulates that the maximum length of service for soldiers is up to 40 years, depending on the needs of the service and meeting standards regarding psychophysical fitness.

- In the countries of the region, the limit for performing professional military service is significantly higher, so in Slovenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, professional soldiers can be in service until the age of 45, while in Croatia, soldiers can be in professional service even up to 50 years of age. Bearing in mind that the BiH Armed Forces are significantly short of soldiers, I believe it is more than necessary to increase the age limit for professional military service for soldiers in the BiH Armed Forces as soon as possible, as proposed - stated the proposer, Džemal Smajić, delegate in the House of Peoples.

Delegates will also consider amendments to the Law on Salaries and Allowances in BiH institutions, which was previously adopted under an expedited procedure by the House of Representatives of the BiH PS. The bill was proposed by representatives Milan Dunović, Zlatan Begić, and Vlatko Glavaš.

The explanation of the proposed law stated that the current law does not reflect the real level of responsibility, complexity, and market value of the jobs performed by IT staff with higher and secondary education. It was emphasized that the amendment to the Law, which would ensure an increase/allowance of 30 to 50 percent for workers with higher and secondary education, would correct an obvious oversight and injustice towards this category of workers, and prevent further departures from BiH institutions.

A proposal for amendments to the Law on Police Officers of BiH, proposed by delegate Kemal Ademović, which has not been agreed upon with police unions, is of particular interest. His proposal is that police officers can remain in service until the age of 59.

The session will also consider the request of the Radio Television of BiH for resolving financial problems and debts, which is part of a broader discussion on the stability of the public broadcaster.

Delegates will, at the request of delegate Želimir Nešković, consider the Proposal for Amendments to the Law on Payments to the Single Account and Distribution of Revenue.

On the agenda is also the proposal for a law on the regulator, transmission, and electricity market in BiH, which strengthens the energy regulator and aligns domestic legislation with EU standards. The focus is on creating an organized wholesale electricity market and establishing an electricity exchange. The proposer of the law states that the adoption of this law will create conditions for establishing an organized electricity market, forming an exchange, and connecting it to the regional and EU markets.

At the request of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, the Proposal for Amendments to the Election Law of BiH will be considered under an expedited procedure.

The session will also include a proposal for amendments to the Law on the Council of Ministers of BiH, as well as a proposal for a law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH and a Proposal for Amendments to the Law on the Court of BiH, proposed by Kemal Ademović, Nikola Špirić, and Dragan Čović.

These amendments would increase the number of HJPC members from the current 15 to 20, of which eight members would be judges and prosecutors each, one lawyer from each entity's bar association, while one member each would be appointed by the House of Representatives of the BiH PS and the Council of Ministers. This proposal is based on the proposed law by the Ministry of Justice of BiH.

Delegates will also consider amendments to the Law on the Court of BiH, which regulate the status of judges of the Appellate Division as permanently appointed, in order to strengthen legal certainty and align with international standards.

On the agenda are also the initiative of delegate Kemal Ademović, decisions on the appointment of members of parliamentary delegations and friendship groups, and appointments to regulatory and management boards in the fields of energy, education, and public broadcasting.

The session will conclude with the consideration of the report on the attempt to reach an agreement on the conclusion of delegates Šefik Džaferović and Safet Softić, and the granting of consent for the ratification of several international agreements, including financial and development projects with Germany, the UN, EU programs, the European Investment Bank, and Saudi Arabia.

Also on the agenda is the Report on determining the proposal for a ranking list of candidates for the election of seven members of the Management Board of the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance, submitted by: The Provisional Joint Commission of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH for the procedure of electing seven members of the Management Board of the Agency for Development of Higher Education and Quality Assurance, as well as the appointment of members of the Management Board of the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina from constituent peoples and from among others. The appointment in the House of Representatives of the BiH PS was in June 2025.