Council of National Minorities in BiH
| CHAIR: |
Jusić, Nedžad |
|---|---|
| FIRST DEPUTY CHAIR: |
Grbić, Marija |
| SECOND DEPUTY CHAIR: |
Ibrahimagić, Vasilija |
| MEMBERS: |
Bicaj, Halil Finci, Jakob Knežiček, Tihomir Kovč, Darko Manzalović Šalaka, Jovanka Milivojević, Iren Redžić, Hidajeta * Svatok, Andrija Tomašević, Neđeljko * Varan, Hakan |
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The Law on the Protection of the Rights of Members of National Minorities in BiH ("Official Gazette of BiH", no. 12/03, 76/05 and 93/08) defines the Council of National Minorities of BiH as a special advisory body of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH which provides opinions, advice and proposals to the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH on all matters concerning the rights, status and interests of national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
According to the provisions of this law, the Council of National Minorities of BiH may delegate experts to work in the constitutional-legal committees and the Joint Committee on Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina, when they discuss the rights, status and interests of national minorities.
The Law regulated the rights and obligations of members of national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and duties of the authorities in BiH to respect and protect, preserve and develop the ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious identity of each member of national minorities in BiH, who is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.Protection of national minorities and the rights and freedoms of these minorities is an integral part of international protection of human rights and freedoms. The Council of Europe's Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities is directly applied and is an integral part of the legal system in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The law recognizes the following national minorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Albanians, Austrians, Montenegrins, Czechs, Italians, Jews, Hungarians, Macedonians, Germans, Poles, Roma, Romanians, Russians, Rusyns, Slovaks, Slovenians, Turks and Ukrainians.
The decision on the creation of the Council of National Minorities of BiH (“Official Gazette of BiH, No. 38/06), adopted in April 2006 by the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, prescribes that the Council of National Minorities of BiH shall be consisted of one representative of each national minority under Article 3 of the Law on the Protection of rights of members of national minorities.
Parliamentary Assembly of BiH appoints the members of the Council of National Minorities by its decision, upon the proposal of the Joint Committee on Human Rights of both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, which is obliged to consult the national minority associations or other NGOs in the process of the selection of candidates.
The first convocation of the Council of National Minorities of BiH was appointed by the decision of the House of Representatives at the session held on 12, 13 and 17 December 2007 and the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH at the session held on 31 January 2008.
That decision of both houses of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, upon the proposal of the Joint Committee for Human Rights, Children's Rights, Youth, Immigration, Refugees, Asylum and Ethics of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH, appointed the following to the Council of National Minorities of BiH: Halil Bicaj (Albanian), Jovanka Manzalović Šalaka (Czech), Tihomir Knežiček (Italian), Jakob Finci (Jew), Vasilija Ibrahimagić (Macedonian), Nedžad Jusić (Roma), Andrija Svatok (Ukrainian), Iren Milivojević (Hungarian), Darko Kovč (Pole) and Marija Grbić (Slovenian).
At the constitutive session of the first convocation of the Council of National Minorities of BiH, held on 23 April 2008, the representative of the Roma national minority, Nedžad Jusić, was elected as the Chair of the Council of National Minorities of BiH, Marija Grbić, the representative of the Slovenian national minority, was elected as the First Deputy Chair, and Vasilija Ibrahimović, the representative of the Macedonian national minority was elected as the Second Deputy Chair.
The composition of the members of the first convocation of the Council of National Minorities of BiH was amended by the Decision of the House of Peoples adopted on 18 June 2009 and the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH on 24 June 2009 ("Official Gazette of BiH", No. 53/09). With this decision, Hidajeta Redžić (Montenegrin) was appointed as a member of the Council of National Minorities of BiH for the period until 30 April 2010. Neđeljko Tomašević (Montenegrin) was appointed as a member of the Council of National Minorities of BiH with the same decision, for the period from 1 May 2010 until the end of the elected members’ mandate in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH.
The composition of the members of the first convocation of the Council of National Minorities of BiH was amended also by the Decision of the House of Representatives at the session held on 22 July 2009 and the session of the House of Peoples of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH held on 23 July 2009 ("Official Gazette of BiH, No. 59/09). With this decision, the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH appointed the representative of the Turkish national minority, Hakan Varan, as a member of the Council of National Minorities of BiH.