Bosnia and Herzegovina

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The Interoperability Framework of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted at the 14th session of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held on 18 June 2018. It aims at creating the conditions for developing eServices and improving their provision to citizens and economic entities, local authorities and other user groups on different levels of administration. 

The overall objective of the EU DIGI BiH Project is to contribute to the dialogue on digitalisation and key decisions related to the implementation of an interoperable eGovernment platform infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in order to further enhance the compatibility of information systems and processes in the country. The specific objective of this project is the preparation of a concept for the interoperable infrastructure of the eGovernment platform in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with sector-specific thematic clusters in annexes for: public administration service catalogues, registers, shared service centres, certification authorities, eMailbox, ePayments, eIdentity (eID), eSignature, and government cloud, including the initial baseline and administrative/legal/ICT recommendations for further steps.

The Council of Ministers is the executive body of Bosnia and Herzegovina that exercises its rights and duties as a governmental function, according to the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, laws and other regulations of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Council of Ministers plays a key role in the establishment and implementation of eGovernance initiatives. State regulations adopted in the form of laws and by-laws enable a wide range of policies that create a sufficient basis for the establishment and functioning of eGovernment. The Department for Maintenance and Development of Electronic Business and eGovernment Services within the Council of Ministers, which is under the Office of the Secretary General, is the responsible body for dealing with aspects of eGovernance within the Council of Ministers.

Public Administration Reform Coordinator's Office (PARCO) was established by the Decision of the Council of Ministers in October 2004, following the recommendation of the feasibility study of the European Commission for BiH. 

PARCO is the driving force behind public administration reform in BiH, and its most important role is the coordination of reform activities between the Council of Ministers, entity authorities and the Brčko District government, in close cooperation with the Delegation of the European Commission in BiH. PARCO prepared, and governments at all levels adopted in 2006, the National Public Administration Reform Strategy and Action Plan, Revised Action Plan for Public Administration Reform from 2011, including the Strategic Framework for Public Administration Reform 2018-2022 (2027). On the basis of the aforementioned strategic documents, PARCO coordinates, directs and monitors the reform of public administration, so that its improved organizational structure, with the application of the best European practices, would be able to implement the entire process of accession to the EU and BiH.

At the national level, the Ministry of Civil Affairs is responsible for the international representation of the country and international cooperation related to education, science and technology, which also incorporates ICT. 

The Ministry of Communications and Transport is also responsible for the international representation of the country and international cooperation related to education, science and technology, which also incorporates ICT. When it comes to infrastructure development, the Ministry of Communications and Transport has a policy-maker role, including national policy, strategic documents and legislation. 

The Ministry of Security leads the cybersecurity agenda and is responsible for the collection and use of data important for the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina. More generally, it has competence over the protection of international borders, inner border crossings, traffic regulation at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s border crossings, as well as prevention and detection of perpetuators of criminal acts of terrorism, narcotics trafficking, domestic and foreign currency falsification, trafficking in human beings and other criminal acts with international or inter-entity elements. It is also competent for international cooperation in all fields falling within the scope of competence of the Ministry.

The Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA) was established by the Decision of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Merger of the Competences of the Independent Media Commission and the Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (Official Gazette BiH, No. 08/01), which had previously operated separately. CRA operates on the national level and its mandate is defined by the Law on Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette BiH, No. 31/03).

More in detail, CRA is a regulatory body with combined competencies, established on the model of similar bodies throughout the EU. It reflects the convergence of technologies in telecommunications and broadcasting with a view to responding to market needs. In accordance with the applicable law, CRA’s competences are the following: (i) development and promotion of rules in the sectors of telecommunications and broadcasting; (ii) issuance of licenses to operators in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors; (iii) planning, management and allocation of the frequency spectrum; (iv) implementation of technical and other standards related to quality; and (v) establishment and maintenance of license fees.

Other institutions may have a special responsibility when it comes to regulation in the field, particularly the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is responsible for the development and adoption of policies in accordance with the existing legal framework.

The Agency for Identification Documents, Registers and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA) is an administrative organisation within the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina in charge of identification documents, storage, personalisation and transport of documents, maintenance of central registers and data exchange between the competent authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. IDDEEA cooperates with the competent authorities in the country, such as source authorities, as well as with other authorities using the services of the Agency. The Agency has wide range of responsibilities and tasks which are essential for the development and management of identification documents and the relevant registers in the country. In addition to the personalisation and delivery of identification documents, maintenance of central registers, and inter‑authority data exchange, IDDEEA is a qualified trust service provider issuing qualified electronic signatures for natural persons in accordance with the applicable legal framework.