New Drugs Law is About Saving Lives in BiH

Saturday’s record drugs seizure by Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
Police highlights the growing problem of narcotics smuggling and production
in BiH.

The authorities can no longer ignore this problem, which needs to be tackled
with the full force of the Law.

It is therefore a matter of serious concern that the Council of Ministers has
yet to ensure that State-level legislation on banned substances is moved into
Parliamentary procedure when it reconvenes in early September.

The draft Law on Prevention and Suppression of the Abuse of Narcotic
Drugs will modernise Bosnia and Herzegovina’s drug control system and close
gaps between Entity laws. Current legislation, which is at the Entity-level
only, together with outdated drug control mechanisms, means that Bosnia and
Herzegovina is not complying with international narcotics controls to which it
has subscribed. It also means that vulnerable groups of BiH citizens, notably
young people, are being exposed to potentially lethal drugs while police
measures to combat dealers are rudimentary.

The bulk of narcotics produced in or trafficked from Bosnia and Herzegovina
end up being sold in Western Europe, which is one of the reasons that the
European Commission’s Feasibility Study requires Bosnia and Herzegovina to take
action to prevent the illegal use of chemical precursors and to reinforce its
anti-narcotics trafficking structures.

But updating outmoded legislation and setting in place an effective
drugs-control system in BiH will protect BiH citizens as well as citizens in the
rest of Europe. Illegal drugs are destroying lives in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.

The Council of Ministers must adopt this law without delay, so that it can be
sent to Parliament, where it can be debated as soon as business resumes in
September.

OSCE

First Conference on Inclusive Education to take place on Bjelasnica
tomorrow

In an effort to raise debate and ensure exchange of best practices and better
networking between non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders that
closely work on inclusive education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the OSCE Mission
to Bosnia and Herzegovina is hosting the first conference on inclusive education
with the focus on “Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in BiH”, tomorrow, on
31 August, at Hotel Marsal, on Bjelasnica.

Many NGOs and other stakeholders across the country will participate in the
conference, which will include discussions and workshops on improving the
effectiveness of non-governmental organizations in BiH society.

The role of inclusion, particularly of children with special needs, is very
significant. As stipulated by the Education Reform Strategy, it is necessary to
assess the number of children with special needs and the difficulties they face
in order to determine the challenges that impede their inclusion into the
general classroom. 

EUFOR

No statement available.

NATO

No statement available.

EUPM

No statement.

RTQs:

Feđa Forto, FENA:

Kevin could you please tell me if  the OHR has a statement to make
concerning the continuation of the talks on police reform which will take place
on Bjelašnica the day after tomorrow, considering that they will now be moving
on from eel to lamb, so besides that is there anything else?

Kevin Sullivan, OHR:

I mean this is essentially an issue for the BiH authorities.  It is they
who are organizing this, it is they who are charged with reaching an agreement
and the OHR’s position and the international community’s position has been the
same throughout and that is that they must reach an agreement that’s consistent
with the requirements of the European Commission and beyond that I really do not
have anything to add.