24.05.2000 PIC Main Meeting Brussels

PIC Declaration – Annex

Annex to the PIC Declaration: required actions

The parties are reminded that the provisions of previous PIC declarations and their annexes remain in force and are urged to meet all outstanding obligations without further delay. The Council recalls the EU’s Road Map and reminds BiH that the implementation of its steps is a pre-condition for rapprochement to the EU. The Council demands that the authorities of BiH act promptly on these and on the issues enumerated below. The fulfilment of the following points will be reflected in the strategy and programming of the donor community.

Economy

  • Complete dismantling of the Payment Bureaux (December 2000).
  • A catalogue of trade and investment barriers in BiH shall be drawn up in consultation with OHR and international economic experts, and urgent steps shall be taken to remove these barriers, especially the full adoption and implementation of harmonised foreign direct investment legislation at State and entity level.
  • Legislation on political party financing and conflict of interest must be passed by the BiH Parliamentary Assembly and Entity Parliamentary Assemblies (September 2000).
  • The following legislation must be adopted by the BiH Parliamentary Assembly: Law on Competition (December 2000), Law on Standardisation, including the creation of a BiH Institute for Standards (December 2000), and Laws on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights (March 2001).
  • The following legislation must be adopted in a harmonised manner by the Entity Parliamentary Assemblies: Law on Land Registry (December 2000), Law on Obligations and Contracts (June 2001), Law on Public Procurement (December 2000), Law on Budget Transparency (December 2000) and Law on Public Corporate Transparency Law (October 2000).
  • Revisions to the Labour Law must be passed by the Federation Parliamentary Assembly (December 2000).
  • Steps must be taken by all relevant authorities to inaugurate the BiH Road Infrastructure Public Corporation (June 2000), launch a BiH Gas Transportation Public Corporation (October 2000) and establish an Energy Regulatory Agency for BiH (April 2001) and a Broadcasting Transmission Infrastructure Corporation.

Return issues

  • Issuance of all decisions on property claims by the respective authorities and execution of all these decisions in accordance with the deadlines set out in law.
  • Immediate allocation by Entities and Cantons of the appropriate resources for alternative accommodation through respective budgets and through use of public owned property.
  • The new BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees should urgently be established and staffed; it should be the State-level mechanism for co-ordination with Entity authorities and international organisations on return issues.

Institutions

  • The BiH Parliamentary Assembly shall adopt the Election Law without delay.
  • Strict and speedy implementation of the Provisional Electoral Commission’s new regulation prohibiting elected officials to hold leading positions in public enterprises.
  • Reduction of the number of executive positions at the municipal and cantonal levels, in parallel to the necessary reduction in size of the local legislative bodies.
  • The following legislation must be adopted by the BiH Parliamentary Assembly: Law on Civil Service, Law on the State Court and Law on Associations and Public Legal Persons; the High Judicial Commission, endowed with effective means to implement the reformed selection, must be established (September 2000).
  • Immediate action by Entity governments to develop judicial branches of government free from political and financial interference through the implementation of relevant legislation. It will be monitored and assessed by the international community.
  • The necessary actions shall be taken by the Entities to ensure the respect for court decisions and court security. These include full implementation by the Federation of its Law on Judicial Police and passage by the RS National Assembly the draft Law on Court Police in the RS.
  • Completion of necessary revision of their respective Criminal Codes and Criminal Procedure Codes by both entities (December 2000).
  • Adoption of the draft BiH Ombudsman Law and the draft Federation Ombudsman Law by the respective Parliamentary Assemblies and establishment of the RS Ombudsman institution (September 2000).
  • Implementation of decisions of the Human Rights institutions and ensure adequate funding.
  • Establishment of the central registry for passports (June 2000) and begin issuance of common passports by BiH Ministry of Civil Affairs and Communication (MCAC) (September 2000). The MCAC shall establish a unified social security numbering system and ensure adoption of ID card legislation (July 2000), and the Ministries of Interior shall begin issuing common driving licenses and ID cards (November 2000).

Exhumations

  • The Council welcomes the improved co-operation between the Entities in joint exhumations and the role played by the High Representative in co-ordinating this process. The Council urges the Entity authorities to give full financial support to this process, as agreed.

Military issues

  • Development of Defence Ministers’ Working Group by SCMM through the establishment of membership, terms of reference and a work plan (July 2000).
  • Provide SCMM with the necessary human and financial resources (October 2000).
  • SCMM should concentrate on a clear definition of the mission and desired future configuration of today’s Entity Armed Forces. This should be balanced against projected budgets. It SCMM should draw up, on a priority basis, a focused, roadmap for the development of a state defence establishment. In this process, the mission and desired future configuration of today’s entity armed forces must be clearly defined and balanced against projected budgets. The implementation of this roadmap must commence in the year 2000 and must encompass a further 15% reduction in entity armed forces which must be completed in 2000.
  • The competent BiH authorities, according with GFAP Annex 1B Article II, shall enhance confidence and security measures, including increased exchange of military information and increased evaluation visits and inspections and common military training and education at various levels.
  • The competent BiH authorities shall create the necessary conditions to fully meet their obligations under the 1999 Vienna Document.

Public security

  • Initial deployment of the State Border Service (June 2000).
  • Integration without further delay of the chain of command and communication system of the police throughout the Federation, in particular in Mostar.
  • Completion of police registration process through the UNMIBiH effort (December 2000).

Media

  • Full support of the transfer agent to RTV BiH and execution of the approved transfer arrangements (Sept 2000), establishment of Federation RTV (August 2000), establishment of PBS (August 2000) and passage of the PBS law (September 2000) and adoption of new RT RS law (September 2000).
  • Evolved IMC under IC supervision (December 2000), completion of Phase 2 licensing for all broadcast media (December 2000) and work towards the elimination of anachronistic institutions, such as the Ministries of Information (December 2000).
  • Adoption of legislation that supports the public’s right to access and impart information, that is, Freedom of Information and Defamation laws (November 2000).

Sport

  • Accelerated and full implementation of the conclusions of the common statement (Lausanne, 28 July, 1999) of the conference on sport in BiH chaired by the International Olympic Committee.

Education

  • Harmonisation of core curriculum guidelines for elementary and secondary education to be adopted by Entity Parliamentary Assemblies, especially with a view to facilitating the return of refugees and displaced persons (September 2000).
  • Establishment by Entity Parliamentary Assemblies of harmonised accreditation systems of Elementary school certificates and Secondary school and University diplomas in BiH (December 2000).
  • Establishment by Entity Parliamentary Assemblies of harmonised accreditation systems for teacher certification (September 2000).
  • Urgent adoption of the Law on the University of Mostar.