Nezavisne novine: SARAJEVO – The Council of Ministers of BIH will disband the CIPS Directorate, and its affairs will be taken over by the future agency for identification documents, records and exchange of data.

It has been stipulated by the law on establishment of this agency, which was adopted last week by the Council of Ministers of BiH.

“Directorate for implementation of the CIPS project practically worked on the basis of a bylaw, and it had a lot of problems in functioning. We think that this law will systemically order this area”, said Aleksandar Obradović, advisor of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers.

Future agency will have more competencies than present CIPS Directorate. Law, which will be discussed by the Parliament of BiH at one of the next sessions, stipulates that this agency is in charge for personalisation and technical processing of personal ID cards, personal ID cards for foreigners, driver’s licenses, travel documents, documents for vehicle registration and other identification documents.

“Agency will keep records of unique personal ID numbers, residences and temporary residences, issued ID cards for BiH citizens and foreigners, citizens’, service and diplomatic passports, drivers’ licenses, registration of motor vehicles and documents for registration of vehicles and records of fines and law violation sentences”, says this Law.

Agency, whose establishment will ensue in the next few months, will take over the equipment and data bases of the CIPS. Also, it has been planned that this agency has competences for implementation of the European standards in security elements and biometrics in passports.

Headquarters of the agency will be in Banja Luka.