FBiH House of Representatives urges High Rep to use Bonn powers

The House of Representatives of Bosnia’s Federation (FBiH) entity urged the High Representative in BiH Christian Schmidt, on Wednesday, to use his powers against the Republika Srpska (RS) entity leadership moves, ensuring peace, stability and functioning of the country.

Given that the recent activities of Republika Srpska political representatives have called into question both peace and stability in BiH, the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament, in accordance with the Dayton Peace Agreement, its Annex X and UN Security Council Resolution 1144, asks the High Representative in BiH Christian Schmidt to use the Bonn powers available to him, in order to ensure peace, stability and the smooth functioning of the institutions of BiH, the FBiH House of Representatives said in their conclusion.

“We expect the High Representative in BiH to directly remove and annul all decisions made [by the RS authorities] which, as the supreme interpreter of the Dayton Peace Agreement, and thus the BiH Constitution, he finds to be in conflict with the Constitution and applicable laws in our country,” said President of the Security Commission in the House of Representatives Damir Masic.

The Office of the High Representative was set in place to monitor the implementation of the civilian aspect of the Dayton Peace Agreement which ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. The High Representative also has a set of powers called the Bonn powers allowing him to impose laws and sanction BiH politicians questioning the Dayton Agreement and threatening peace and stability of the country.

The second conclusion is that the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament calls on EUFOR and NATO forces to act in accordance with United Nations Resolution 1575 from 2004, in case of threats to the security of BiH citizens caused by the announced unconstitutional actions of Republika Srpska officials and institutions.

Earlier this month the Bosnian Serb Presidency member Milorad Dodik said that the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska (RS) entity would adopt laws and amendments annulling all the previous laws imposed by the High Representative in the country, some 140 of them, and withdraw its previous consent on all the major reforms in the country such as the army reform, the reform of the fiscal council, the Indirect Taxation Authority, state police, state intelligence agency and others, returning the competencies earlier transferred to the state back to the entity.

Following this statement, the National Assembly of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity adopted with 43 votes in favour and two abstentions the Bill on Medicines and Medical Devices, which foresees the establishment of an entity-level Medicines Agency despite there being a state drug agency.