Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, often called Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the executive branch of the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is also called the Cabinet.
According to Article V, Section 4 of the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and confirmed by the national House of Representatives. The Chairman then appoints other ministers.
Decision of the Constitutional Court
On 11 February 1999, Mirko Banjac, at the time Deputy Chair of the House of Representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, instituted a request for, among other issues, the evaluation of the constitutionality of the Law on the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministries of Bosnia and Herzegovina which foresaw the existence of two Co-Chairs and a Vice-Chair of the Council of Ministers. In its decision the Court had, among other things, stated the following:The Court gave the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina a three-month period from the date of publication of its decision in the Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina to bring the contested provisions of the Law in conformity with the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the Parliamentary Assembly failed to do that, the Court, acting upon the request of the applicant and pursuant to its decision of 14 August 1999 and the legal standpoint cited in the reasons of the decision, established that certain provisions of the Law on Ministers and Ministries shall cease to be valid.
Responsibilities
The Council is responsible for carrying out the policies and decisions in the fields of:- foreign policy
- foreign trade policy
- customs policy
- monetary policy
- finances of the institutions and for the international obligations of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- immigration, refugee, and asylum policy and regulation
- international and inter-Entity criminal law enforcement, including relations with Interpol
- establishment and operation of common and international communications facilities
- regulation of inter-Entity transportation
- air traffic control
- facilitation of inter-Entity coordination
- other matters as agreed by the Entities
Standing Bodies of the Council of Ministers
- General Secretariat
- Economic Directorate
- Internal Politics Directorate
- Directorate for European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bureau for Legal Matters