The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is scheduled to consider the Draft Law on the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPCBiH) and the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the second round of voting, the ministers should express their views on the Draft Decision on the Establishment of the Office of the Chief Negotiator of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the European Union as a temporary body of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by the Cabinet of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina expressed their views on the aforementioned decision in early November, but the decision was not made at that time, because the ministers from the Troika were against it, so a second round of voting should follow today.
The adoption of the Law on the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the HJPC and the appointment of the Chief Negotiator are conditions for the opening of negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU.
This was also emphasized in early November, when the European Commission adopted the annual Enlargement Package, in which it presented its comprehensive assessment of the progress of the partner countries in the enlargement process over the past year.
“In order to effectively start accession negotiations, the authorities must, first of all, finalize and adopt laws aimed at judicial reform, which will be fully aligned with European standards, and appoint a chief negotiator,” the European Commission said at the time in its assessment of BiH’s progress on its path to the EU.
Last week, after a session of the Council of Ministers, the Chairwoman of the BiH Council of Ministers, Borjana Krišto, said that “we must deliver to the European institutions the remaining conditions, which are two laws – on the Court and the HJPC, and make a decision on the establishment of a chief negotiator”.
“I said, we do not have time to wait, that is what is expected of us. We must all show in a practical way whether we are for our step forward, for reforms and what we can actually expect from the European Council when we do or adopt it, a positive message for BiH. I would also say the official opening of negotiations, that is, the date for the first intergovernmental conference between BiH and the institutions of the European Union. I hope that we will all be responsible, that we will succeed,” said Krišto.
The Council of Ministers of BiH, in addition to the mentioned “European topics”, should also consider the Information on the implementation of the Implementation Plan “Defense Review” and the Action Plan for the implementation of the “Plan for the Development and Modernization of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina 2017 – 2027”, as well as the Information on the Annual Plan for training and exercises of members and units of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina abroad for the year 2026.
The agenda should also include a new text, Information on the situation in the area of migration in BiH for the first six months of 2025, as well as Information on the prepared Additional Information regarding the implementation of GRECO’s recommendations in the fourth round of evaluation.
It is planned, among other things, to consider the Draft Opinion on the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on the State Agency for Investigations and Protection, and the Draft Decision on determining the annual quota of work permits for the employment of foreigners in BiH for the year 2026.
