During its 18th special session held today in Banja Luka, the Government of Republika Srpska instructed the Ministry of Interior to swiftly prepare a bill to manage border control and crossing the state border of Bosnia and Herzegovina within the territory of Republika Srpska, assigning the responsibility for border control to police officers of the RS Ministry of Interior.

The President of Republika Srpska’s Office revealed earlier today that a meeting involving the “top leadership” of the entity culminated in a decision to establish the RS Border Police.

A working group has been formed and convened its first meeting on Monday to draft legislation outlining the operating procedures for the Border Police in Republika Srpska.

This initiative is deemed unconstitutional since the State Border Police is already functioning at the Bosnian and Herzegovinian level, and can only be dissolved through a joint decision by both chambers of the BiH Parliament.

The recent secessionist and unconstitutional actions taken by RS authorities come in the wake of the Court of BiH’s order to detain RS President Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and RS National Assembly President Nenad Stevandić for one month, following their appearance for questioning.

All three officials are currently suspected of undermining the constitutional order, and they have notably failed to respond to summons from the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH. In light of their non-compliance, the BiH Court has mandated their detention.

If detention proves unfeasible or if the suspects cannot be located, the subsequent step will involve the issuance of arrest warrants. In this scenario, all law enforcement agencies in BiH, including the State Border Police, are obligated to apprehend Dodik, Višković, and Stevandić.

The RS Government has also directed the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to facilitate the transition of personnel employed in the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) from the RS, along with judges, prosecutors, and staff based in RS who work with the BiH Court, Prosecutor’s Office, and the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of BiH, provided they express a desire to be absorbed into RS institutions by Wednesday, March 19, of this year.

Following this, they plan to initiate proceedings to repeal acts that grant this right, as stated by the RS Government.

The RS Government has also tasked the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to continuously gather data from judicial and other RS institutions concerning the enforcement of the Law on Non-Application of Laws and the Law on Non-Application of Decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina within RS territory, and to implement measures to penalize entities acting in contradiction to these laws.

The RS Government further requires the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to expeditiously draft legislation to establish the RS Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, which will oversee the relevant sector.

Additionally, the Ministry of Finance is tasked with ensuring the necessary financial prerequisites for the creation and operation of RS institutions established by RS National Assembly laws, as well as future institutions aimed at safeguarding the constitutional order of the RS.

The Ministry of Finance is also instructed to halt funding from the RS budget to any institutions that do not adhere to the laws and regulations enacted by the RS National Assembly, and to recommend the initiation of procedures for the abolition of these institutions.

The RS Government has instructed the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deploy maximum resources in response to the current political and security situation in BiH to protect individuals and facilities requiring special security, and to undertake all legally mandated actions to ensure the uninterrupted execution of the constitutional and legal responsibilities of protected individuals.

The RS Government additionally approved the issuance of RS bonds primarily targeting the general population (savings bonds), which will offer a new security option as an easily accessible investment opportunity suitable for smaller investors.

The target nominal value for the bond issuance is set at five million marks (approximately 2.5 million euros), with an annual interest rate of 4.5% and a two-year maturity from the registration date. Interest payments will be made to bondholders on a semi-annual basis.

Savings bonds will provide an affordable financial instrument for RS citizens, with a minimum subscription amount of 100 marks per investor, while the nominal value of individual savings bonds is set at one mark.

The decision specifies that registration and payment for the savings bonds will commence within at least seven days following the publication of a public invitation in daily newspapers and on the RS Ministry of Finance’s website.

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