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Council of Ministers of BiH: To implement Action Plan for Creation of Regional Power Market

The Council of Ministers of BiH took note of Information on an initiative the “Western Balkans 6”, and tasked the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations to define, together with its partners, the time framework for implementation of the related Action Plan and to engage actively on its implementation.

The Action Plan contains about 40 activities to be implemented jointly by BiH State and Entity competent bodies, in order to advance the capacities of institutional structures required for the functioning the regional power market, in accordance with a Contract on establishment of the Energy Community and relevant EU acquis.

The aim is to realise the Initiative in six countries of the region, members of the South-East European Energy Community on establishment of power market.

The implementation of the “Western Balkans 6” Initiative will improve directly the organisation of internal market of power in BIH, which will enable the buyers to dispose of better energy supply, simultaneously enabling domestic power utilities to place their surpluses to the countries of the region.

EUR 50 mil. for new employmnet in BiH

The Council of Ministers of BiH defined a Proposal Loan Agreement for the Employment Support Project between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, worth EUR 50 million.

Out of these funds, EUR 29 million will be allocated to the Federation of BiH, and EUR 21 million to Republika Srpska. The aim of the project is to increase employment in private sector of those unemployed who are registered and job seeking.

The realisation of the project is expected to secure jobs for 33 thousand easily employable people, among whom there are eight thousand young persons. The project aims to assist, primarily the young and vulnerable categories, in obtaining the skills required for work in the private employment sector. The project will help public employment services make better user profiles of active job seekers and will aid employers in contact making and labour market communication.

The loan repayment term is 32 years, including seven-year grace period, while the loan closing date is October 1, 2021.

The Proposal Agreement  with basics for its conclusion will be provided to the BiH Presidency for further procedure, and the Minister of Finance and Treasury was proposed as the BiH signatory.

Action Plan adopted for realisation of EC BiH Progress Report recommendations

The Council also adopted, upon a proposal of the Directorate for European Integrations, an Action Plan for realisation of priorities from the BIH Progress Report by EC for 2016, with suggestions made at the session, thus making it an overarching state document with 734 measures to be implemented by competent State, Entity, cantonal and Brčko District institutions.

These measures should be implemented mainly by February 2018 in the areas of public administration reform, functional judiciary, combating corruption and organised crime, human rights and minority protection, freedom of expression, market economy, improvement of investment conditions, and tourism.

A considerable part of the package is directed towards the improvement of conditions for employment, better welfare and health care and development of the European standards in education and linking it with the labour market, as well as research and innovations capacity building.

The Action Plan has a high level of harmonisation, while the competent Ministries and other BIH administrative bodies will have to make additional consultations for 20 measures only, in order to harmonise them fully and implement.

CERT decreses risk for investors

The Council took a decision, with some corrections made at the session, on designating a Team for response to computer incidents for Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Institutions (CERT) within the BiH Ministry of Security Sector for Informatics and Telecommunication Systems, in accordance with relevant recommendation of the EU and NATO.

So, the action-taking will be the preventive one, with strengthening of security and creation of conditions for timely reaction to unauthorised intrusion into information-communication systems of the BiH Institutions.

The establishment of CERT will improve considerably the picture of BiH and will decrease the risk to investors, since almost all investment processes and records are digitalised and connected to the Internet.

The decision will add to harmonisation of BiH regulations in the area and application of recommendations of the EU in fight against cyber-crime, which have ever growing negative effects to citizens, private and public institutions, to business and t the society as a whole.

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