BOSNIAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON POLICE REFORM LAWS NEXT WEEK

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (April 3,2008) – The Bosnian Parliament’s House of Representatives didn't on yesterday’s session debate on the police reform draft laws which were sent into parliamentary procedure by tree different parties with the demand for urgent procedure.

Draft law on independent and supervisory bodies of the police structure in Bosnia and draft law on direction for coordination of police bodies and support agencies to the police structure were sent by SNSD delegates chair Drago Kalabic,SBiH party delegates chair Azra Hadziahmetovic and deputy chair of the House, Niko Lozancic.

After the SBIH and the SNSD parties submitted Bills on Independent and Supervisory Bodies of Bosnia's Police Structure and on Direction for Coordination of Police Bodies and Agency for Support to the Bosnian Police Structures, with a demand that they are discussed in an emergency parliamentary procedure, third Bill was submitted on Tuesday afternoon.

In accordance with the House of Representatives’ Rules of Procedure, and after consultations that have been conducted in the past few days, it has been concluded that SNSD party delegates SBiH’s proposals unacceptable, while SNSD party’s proposals are unacceptable for SBiH party delegates.

The Bosnian Parliament's House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Niko Lozancic also submitted the two laws on Tuesday to the parliamentary procedure with a demand that they are discussed in an emergency procedure, Lozancic’s Cabinet announced.

Bills have been developed in an attempt to find a compromising solution to the police reform issue, which would be acceptable to the majority of delegates at House of Representatives, all for the purpose of passing the two laws and opening the European perspective for BiH and all its peoples and citizens, the announcement states.

Lozancic also submitted the Article 21 contents, which provide a compromising proposal of the transitional reforms which would be valid for both the laws:

1) “After this law is put in force, all the laws relevant for functioning of bodies that are formed by this law will be aligned in accordance to the decrees of this law within 6 months from the day the law becomes operative”;

2) “Relations between the police bodies formed by this law and other police bodies in Bosnia will be regulated through a new and reformed police structure in Bosnia, which will be based on the relevant decrees of the Bosnian Constitution and which will be aimed to form a professional, functional and multiethnic police, in accordance with the best European experience and standards at multinational and decentralized states”.

The Bosnian Parliament is expected to vote on the police reform laws next week.
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