On May 30 this year in Sarajevo, a meeting of the Advisory body of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for cooperation with non-governmental organizations and with the representatives of the institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held.
At the meeting it was discussed about the Cooperation Agreement between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and non-governmental organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was first signed in 2007 and then in 2017, and the role of the Advisory body, which was established by the Decision of the Council of Ministers on the establishment of the Advisory body of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina for cooperation with non-governmental organizations (“Official Gazette of Bosnia and Herzegovina” number 80/20), especially now in the period of intensified European integration path of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the challenges that exist both within civil society itself and in the relationship between civil society and authorities at all administrative levels in Bosnia and Herzegovina were discussed.
The participants of the meeting pointed out that it is high time that civil society is understood and accepted as a true partner of government institutions, and that civil society must be an indispensable factor in the negotiation process with the European Union, which is one of the demands of the European Commission towards Bosnia and Herzegovina.
It was concluded that the meetings of the Advisory body and representatives of government institutions should be held regularly, and that the exchange of information between civil society and government bodies must be carried out regularly.
On behalf of the Advisory body, the meeting was attended by the chairperson of the Advisory body, Aida Daguda, and members of the Advisory body, Nada Golubović, Ilija Trninić and Tomislav Majić, while the representatives of the BiH Ministry of Justice (Selma Džihanović-Gratz), the BiH Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke on behalf of the BiH institutions. (Amra Džidić), the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Nikola Ašanin), the Ministry of Defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Jasminka Jažić), the Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Office (Vedrana Faladžić), the Directorate for European Integration (Amila Opardija and Suzana Mijatović), and the Directorate for Economic Planning (Željko Rajić).