Minute of silence for the victims of the catastrophic floods that have hit our country marked the beginning of the 61st session of the Council of Ministers of BiH.
ASSISTANCE FOR MUNICIPALITIES AFFECTED BY CATASTROPHIC FLOODS
The Council of Ministers of BiH has adopted a Decision to approve funds from the current reserve of the budget of BiH institutions and international obligations of BiH for 2024, granting assistance to municipalities affected by catastrophic floods in the total amount of one million KM.
According to this decision, 200,000.00 KM will be allocated to the municipalities of Jablanica, Konjic, Kiseljak, Kreševo, and Fojnica each.
The decision shall enter into force on the day of adoption and will be published in the Official Gazette of BiH.
The Council of Ministers of BiH considered the Information on the donation of funds to aid flooded areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Republic of Croatia.
The Ministry of Security of BiH is tasked with, in coordination with competent entity and cantonal bodies, as well as local communities, preparing urgent information on the situation and needs of the population in the flooded areas of the municipalities of Jablanica, Konjic, Kreševo, Kiseljak, and Fojnica, and within a period of no longer than ten days, informing the Council of Ministers of BiH to consider the same with the aim of adopting a decision on the allocation of funds from the donations made by the Republic of Croatia to aid residents in flood-affected areas in BiH, as well as other donated funds.
It should be noted that the Republic of Croatia has already transferred a donation of ten (10) million euros to the account of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury of BiH.
In the preparation of the Information, the Ministry of Security will take into account the priority needs of the affected residents of local communities and propose mechanisms for the urgent and transparent use of funds to ensure effective and fair assistance in addressing the consequences of floods.
Furthermore, data is necessary both for the formulation of the allocation decision and for applying to the European Union Solidarity Fund.
ACCELERATING THE SUBMISSION OF WORK PROGRAM PROPOSALS FOR 2025 AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORK PROGRAM FOR 2024
The Council of Ministers of BiH expresses concerns regarding the institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH that have not submitted their work program proposals for 2025 within the prescribed deadlines (15.10.2024) and the insufficient implementation of the work program of the Council of Ministers of BiH for 2024, and warns all institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH to adhere to all deadlines set by sublegal acts of the Council of Ministers of BiH, as well as ensuring the consistent implementation of the set objectives defined in the work program of the Council of Ministers of BiH for 2024, and calls on the leaders of all institutions of the Council of Ministers to pay special attention to monitoring the work program of their institutions, which also reflects on the fulfillment of the work program of the Council of Ministers of BiH.
In line with the above, ministries and other institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH that have not yet done so are tasked with promptly and without further delay submitting work program proposals for 2025 to the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of BiH for further processing.
Furthermore, ministries and other institutions of the Council of Ministers of BiH are tasked with expediting the implementation of all necessary activities with the aim of proposing laws, sublegal acts, international agreements, and other acts planned by the Work Program of the Council of Ministers of BiH for 2024 to the Council of Ministers of BiH.
FORMATION OF A TEAM TO PREPARE FOR THE SUMMIT OF WESTERN BALKANS AND EU LEADERS IN BiH
The Council of Ministers of BiH, upon the proposal of the Office of the Chairperson, adopted a Decision to form a Team to prepare and organize the Summit of Western Balkans and European Union Leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, scheduled for early December this year.
According to this decision, representatives of offices in executive bodies actively involved in the activities of the EU Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans and the Berlin Process, as well as representatives of relevant ministries and directorates, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, protocol departments, as well as bodies responsible for security and coordination related to high-level events, are appointed to the team. The head of the Chairperson’s Office, Niko Duvnjak, has been appointed as the chairman of the Team.
The team’s task is to prepare and organize the technical, logistical, protocol, and security activities, and all other tasks for the Summit of Western Balkans and EU Leaders in BiH, as well as to prepare and assess Bosnia and Herzegovina’s financial obligations in this regard.
The team’s mode and scope of work, decision-making methods, rights and obligations, and all other issues relevant to the team’s work will be regulated by the Rules of Procedure, which the Team will adopt by consensus at the first meeting. Within three months of the Summit, the Team will submit a report to the Council of Ministers of BiH on its work.
Leaders’ Summits of the Western Balkans and the EU are held in the region to discuss the implementation of activities within the EU Enlargement Strategy for the Western Balkans and other topics of importance to the region and the EU market. So far, these meetings have been held in Albania and Montenegro, with the next one planned for early December this year in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF BiH ON THE STATUS OF ZORAN GALIĆ
The Council of Ministers of BiH tasked the Ministry of Security, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice and the Legislative Office, to submit a proposal for the dismissal of Zoran Galić from the position of deputy director of SIPA by the next session of the Council of Ministers.
EU-BiH DIALOGUE ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM
The Council of Ministers of BiH adopted the Information of the Directorate for European Integration on the 7th meeting of the Special Group for Public Administration Reform between the European Union and Bosnia and Herzegovina, held on April 16, 2024, in a hybrid format, live and via video conference.
The meeting was divided into two sessions, with the first session focusing on high-level political dialogue on public administration reform, and the second session on technical aspects. Representatives from the European Commission discussed functional public administration, public finance management, building a professional civil service, and harmonizing legislation in these areas at different levels of government. The technical level of the meeting focused on the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan for Public Administration Reform in BiH, as well as responsibilities and human resources management in the civil service. The European Commission was also provided with a draft version of the Program for BiH’s integration into the EU.
The European Commission expects that the authorities of BiH will focus on revising the existing Action Plan for Public Administration Reform and its sustainability in the coming period. The Commission also expressed readiness to support further public administration reform in BiH.
ADDITIONAL FUNDS APPROVED TO FILL IFAD FUNDS
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon the proposal of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, adopted a Decision to approve funds for additional contributions to the Thirteenth replenishment of the funds (2025 – 2027) of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD).
Additional funds in the amount of 180,000 euros will be disbursed in 2024, in accordance with the obligations arising from Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership in IFAD.
Thus far, Bosnia and Herzegovina has contributed seven times financially to replenishing IFAD funds, starting from 2006.
IFAD has approved funds for eight projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1995, with a total value of 97.23 million US dollars, under very favorable conditions.
Izvor: ( poslovnenovine.ba / Izvor.ba )