{"id":739,"date":"2020-04-07T12:46:10","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T10:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advokatskafirmasajic.com\/blog\/?p=739"},"modified":"2020-04-08T10:53:44","modified_gmt":"2020-04-08T08:53:44","slug":"covid-19-information-on-the-measures-and-activities-of-the-authorities-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advokatskafirmasajic.com\/blog\/covid-19-information-on-the-measures-and-activities-of-the-authorities-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina-5\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID-19 INFORMATION ON THE MEASURES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE AUTHORITIES IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

n March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a Coronavirus pandemic<\/strong> due to an ongoing global outbreak of Coronavirus disease, called COVID-19 (which represent an abbreviation of Coronavirus Disease 2019). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the first case of COVID 19 was recorded on March 5, 2020. To date, more than 660 cases have been confirmed in the territory of Bosnia and Hercegovina.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Decision on the Declaration of a State of Emergency<\/strong> due to the current epidemiological situation entered into force on April 3 in the territory of the Republic of Srpska and the same was adopted on March 28 by the National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska. Prior to that Decision, on March 16, 2020, the RS Government issued a Decision declaring an emergency situation<\/strong>. More detailed information on the consequences of a declaration of a state of emergency can be found at the following link:
https:\/\/advokatskafirmasajic.com\/blog\/covid-19-the-latest-measures-and-activities-summary-2\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities have undertaken a number of measures and\nactivities to prevent the spreading of disease caused by Coronavirus. All timely and accurate information about the Coronavirus\ncan be obtained on the official website of the Government of the Republic of\nSrpska “Coronavirus in Srpska”<\/a>, as well as on the portal of the FBIH Government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A brief review of the measures taken as of April 6, 2020<\/strong>, can be obtained below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Health care measures and restrictions on freedom of movement and gatherings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bosna i Hercegovina:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

E<\/strong>ntering\nBosnia and Herzegovina is prohibited to all foreign nationals<\/strong>, with the exception of some categories of\npeople (health workers, persons in need of medical treatment, cross-border\nworkers, civil protection services and teams, members of NATO forces and other\nPfP countries as well as NATO HQ in BiH, persons residing in BiH, persons in\ntransit through BiH, and persons licensed by the Council of Ministers);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At borders,\ninspectors are issuing to all BiH citizens entering the country a Decision\non placing in isolation for 14 days<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tent quarantines have been set up\nat several border crossings in BiH<\/strong>:\nGradi\u0161ka, Kozarska Dubica, Brod, \u0160amac, Bijeljina, Vi\u0161egrad, <\/strong>intended for persons\nentering BiH from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Control of\npersons subject to house isolation is ensured <\/strong>and persons\nwho do not comply with determined measure of home isolation will be quarantined.\nThe personal name and place of residence of the person found not to comply with\nthe imposed isolation or quarantine measures shall be made public.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All public gatherings in BiH are banned,<\/strong> and all sporting events are cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Br\u010dko District\nof Bosnia and Herzegovina:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All citizens have to stay indoors during the\ncurfew hours from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All persons 65 years of age or older have to\nstay indoors,<\/strong> except for the period from 6-10 April between 08:00 and\n12:00, and persons under the age of 18 are allowed to be transported in the\nvehicle.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prohibition of movement of all citizens in\npublic areas during the curfew hours from 8:00 pm to 5:00 am.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prohibition of movement and respecting\ndistance<\/strong> which cannot be less than 1.5 meters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ban on transportation of more than one person in taxi\nservice cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suspension of visits and exits of all migrants in all refugee-reception centres, temporary centres and asylum centres, as well as all residents in social protection institutions and prisons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republic of Srpska:\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prohibition\nof movement for all persons over 65 years of age (75 years for rural citizens),\nexcept on Tuesdays and Fridays from 07:00 am to 10:00 am.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prohibition\nof movement of all citizens during the curfew hours in the period from 08:00 pm\nto 05:00 am.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prohibition of movement of all citizens from\ntheir place of residence<\/strong> on weekends from Saturday at 12: 00h to\nSunday at 18: 00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police\nescorts all persons entering the Republic of Srpska<\/strong> on the border crossings is obligatory\nstarting from April 1 at 12:00.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers\nwill issue certificates to their employees confirming the need for movement\nwith the purpose of enabling the smooth performance of the work process<\/strong> on the basis of which they will be allowed to\nmove during the curfew hours. The RS Ministry of Internal Affairs will issue\ncertificates for movement to all persons who do not have employers. The\ncertificate form is published on the website of the RS Government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 3 April,\nthe RS Government adopted the Proposal of the Decree with legislative power\non offences related to causing panic and disorder during the period of declared\nemergency situation <\/strong>where the same prohibits the making or transmitting\nfake news and allegations through the media, social networks and other similar\nmeans of communication, which cause panic and disturb public order and peace or\ninterfere with the work of authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing protective masks in public places in RS is\nrecommended <\/strong>and in the\nabsence of masks, they can use a scarf or headscarf for the nose and mouth\nprotection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Health Institution – RS University\nClinical Centre can only carry out emergency medical procedures,<\/strong> and all\nother health services are postponed until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In RS, the validity of all previously issued conclusions\nwas extended until April 13, 2020\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The City of Banja Luka<\/strong> has established a quarantine at several locations for patients and persons who have been determined isolation. In that regard total of five checkpoints are set up to control the movement of persons. Visits to city entertainment areas (Banj brdo, Park Mladen Stojanovic, open gym and cargo areas and green areas around the new bridge) are forbidden for visits from April 3. The elderly population, sick and helpless persons will be delivered food and medicines to their home address as part of the “You Are Not Alone” campaign. All preventive measures in Banja Luka related to public transport, pre-school education, crafts and other similar services, public gatherings, etc. were extended until 13 April 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traffic and transport\n<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nborder crossings with the Republic of Serbia<\/strong> are closed for passenger traffic – air, road,\nrail and water, while border crossings Karakaj, Vardiste and Raca are opened\nfor traffic of goods. The border crossing point for transit traffic\nthrough BiH with the Republic of Serbia is Raca<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nborder crossings with Montenegro <\/strong>are\nclosed to all, except for their nationals, foreigners who have a registered\nresidence and truck drivers. The Klobuk border crossing was opened for traffic\nof goods with Montenegro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nborder crossings with the Republic of Croatia <\/strong>are closed for all, except for their nationals, foreigners who have a\nregistered residence and truck drivers. The Republic of Croatia has temporarily\nclosed all border crossings for cross-border traffic between Croatia and BiH\nfrom April 2at 7:00 am. The border crossings for the carriage of goods by road\nin transit through BiH were defined previously, and according to the Republic\nof Croatia the following crossings were determined: Bijaca, Stara Gradiska and\nSlavonski Samac, with the exception of Neum through which regular traffic to\nCroatia is with no disturbance. Cargo vehicles leaving BiH for goods in the\nRepublic of Croatia (import\/export) can cross the state border through other\nborder crossings, provided that they inform the company from the Republic of\nCroatia about it, and the same is expected to provide them with the necessary\npermit to cross the border. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers based in the RS and FBIH have been ordered<\/strong> by the Republican\nCommittee for Emergency Situations to issue a certificate of engagement of\ndrivers in the international transport.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\ndecision banning the entry of foreigners in BiH will not apply to drivers and\nco-drivers of trucks<\/strong>\nwhen performing international transport of goods in road transport. Upon\narrival to Bosnia and Herzegovina, drivers of vehicles in international\ntransport shall be issued a Decision by the Republic or Federal Inspector on\nthe isolation for the duration of the stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which\nimplies a period from entry to Bosnia and Herzegovina until departure to the\nnext destination, i.e. until expiration of the deadline specified in the  decision for mandatory isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case\nof international transit of goods by road, the stay of a cargo vehicle crew in\nBiH is limited to a maximum of 12 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From March 30, 2020 until April 30 all airports will be\nclosed which includes<\/strong>:<\/strong> Sarajevo Airport,\nMostar Airport, Tuzla Airport and Banja Luka Airport<\/strong> (with the exception of\nhumanitarian flights, emergency medical transport, search and rescue, and mail\nand goods transport, as well as technical flights without passengers and forced\nlandings). Sarajevo Airport will serve as an “air bridge” through\nwhich medicines and assistance will arrive in BiH. The airline company “Ryanair”<\/strong>\nhas cancelled all flights from Banja Luka until May 1, , while “Air\nSerbia” cancelled all scheduled flights including flights on the relation\nBelgrade-Banja Luka. “Turkish Airlines” has announced that the last\nflight to Sarajevo should be March 27, 2020.The airline company “Wizz Air”\nsuspended all flights from and to Tuzla from March 17 to April 3, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Railways\nof the Republic of Srpska cancelled local passenger traffic for all directions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In FBiH, the\nsuspension of public regular and non-scheduled passenger transport in road\nand rail transport<\/strong>, except for taxi services is in force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BiH\nPublic intercity transport is suspended. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In RS, intercity public transport and regional republic bus lines (up to 50 km) have been suspended.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catering,\ntrade and crafts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republic of Srpska:<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RS Government<\/strong> has envisaged\nto provide payment of taxes and contributions for March for about 40,000\nworkers in the areas most severely affected by the coronavirus crisis\n(catering, tourism, transport, services, entrepreneurs, etc.), and to their\nemployers should provide net wages for the month of March;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe Republic of Srpska, until April 13 the work\nis forbidden to all<\/a><\/strong> catering establishments for food and\nbeverages, stores (with the exceptions listed below), fitness centres, swimming\npools, wellness and spa centres (separately and within catering\nestablishments), children’s playrooms, private dental clinics, gambling saloons,\nsports organizations and sports schools (including the organization of training\nand competitions for athletes of all categories), the provision of service and\ncraft activities that require direct contact (hairdressing and other treatments\nfor beauty, body care and maintenance);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until April\n13, work of the following business entities is limited to<\/strong> work from 07:00 am to 06:00 pm: wholesalers,\nshopping malls where only grocery \/ consumer goods stores can work, pharmacies\nand agricultural pharmacies, home electrical appliances, water and sanitation,\nconstruction supplies can operate , auto parts, agricultural machinery parts,\nelectrical materials, ceramics and paints and varnishes, if located in the\nshopping mall; grocery \/ consumer goods stores, animal feed stores, bread and\npastry businesses, fresh pasta and cakes (solely with respect to the sale of\ntheir products), registered food delivery operators, public kitchens (allowed\nto work over the counter, without service activities), pharmacies and agricultural\npharmacies, gas and fuel stations for the part of the pump and the station\nwhere the retail outlet is located, without the time limitation of work when it\ncomes to the sale of fuel, petroleum products and gas, which must be  organized in accordance with Government\nmeasures (maximum number of customers in the facility, rapid flow and distance\nbetween customers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until April\n13, limited hours <\/strong>of work from\n07:00 to 15:00 pm relate to stores selling home electrical appliances, water\nand sanitary equipment, building materials, auto parts, agricultural machinery\nparts, electrical materials, ceramics, paints and varnishes, wholesale markets,\nsmall (markets) and livestock markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caterers operating in a catering establishment\nmay<\/strong> provide accommodation services without\nrestriction, and food and beverage services may only be provided to guests to\nwhom they provide accommodation services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quantity of certain products (flour, sugar, salt, oil, etc.) <\/strong>that an individual can buy at retail outlets is limited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federation\nof Bosnia and Herzegovina:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspension of trade activities is in\neffect, <\/strong>except the\nfollowing: grocery stores, hygienic items shops, fish markets, butcher shops,\npharmacies, specialized stores of medical, veterinary products and equipment,\nstores of raw materials, agricultural pharmacies, gas stations, kiosks,\nbakeries, dry cleaners, specialized stores for sale of orthopaedic and other\naids, specialized baby equipment stores, animal feed stores, construction\nmaterial stores, plumbing and electrical materials stores, logistics and\ndistribution centres of food, beverages and hygiene products, drugstores,\nbookstores, car parts stores, car repair shops and car wash, home appliances\nstores, furniture stores. There is a suspension of service in catering\nestablishments of all categories <\/strong>(restaurants, pizzerias, pastry shops,\netc.), with the exception of food production and delivery services, the\noperation of public kitchens as well as the production and serving of food for\nhotel guests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is obligatory to ensure the flow of\ncustomers and clients in such a way as to allow a distance of at least 1.5\nmeters between persons, while respecting other hygienic and epidemiological measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation of private dental offices and\nprivate dental laboratories is prohibited; Termination of services is effective\nin hairdressing and beauty salons and playrooms, cafes and bistros, clubs,\ndiscos, casinos, sports betting, cinemas, museums, theatres, concert halls, art\ngalleries, public swimming pools and spas, sports and recreation centres and\nthe like.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The suspension of the operation of open beverages, market premises and premises around retail outlets is in effect, except for open beverage and market premises with agricultural food products.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work of state and republic bodies,\ncompanies and other business entities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe Republic of Srpska state bodies, republic administrative bodies, bodies of\nlocal self-government<\/strong>\nunits and other entities exercising public authority<\/strong> are obliged to\nestablish their work in the following manner: with a minimum number of on-site\nexecutors required, other persons will be sent to work from home, limited\nnumber of persons who can enter and stay at the premises at the same time,\nprevention of the longer stay in the premises and long rows, maintenance of the\nnecessary distance between the citizens indoors, taking measures of\ndisinfection and enhanced hygiene. In the Federation of BiH it has been ordered to work with clients\nin a way that at least 1.5 meters between persons is enabled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The court hearings\nwill not be held in judicial<\/strong> institutions<\/strong>\nexcept for those of an urgent nature, the number of employees has been reduced,\nthe operating hours have been shortened, the receipt and dispatch of letters is\ndone by post office. On April 3, the RS Government accepted the Proposal of\nDecree with legal power on time limits and proceedings in state of emergency\nprocedures for the territory of the Republic of Srpska.\nOn April 3, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and\nHerzegovina<\/strong> adopted the Initiative for Amendments to the Criminal Procedure\nCode to enable the conduct of “online trials” in urgent cases where\nthere is a health risk for participants in the proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Police Administration Banja Luka<\/strong> announced that the\ncounters for issuing personal documents and vehicle registration would be open\nfrom 07:00 am to 15:00 pm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RS\nPost Offices,<\/strong> as of March\n20, 2020, apply modified operating hours and restrictions on the export and import\nof international shipments are also introduced. It is provided that registered\nmail for persons over 65 years of age can be collected by an adult who presents\na valid identity document of the consignee. Regional postal operators, Post of\nSerbia and Post of Montenegro, are not currently able to ship parcels to RS\nPost Offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RS Health Insurance Fund<\/strong> has decided to extend the financing\nof health services in public health institutions for all citizens (insured and\nuninsured) until April 30, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRS Pension and Disability Insurance Fund<\/strong> have informed beneficiaries,\nolder than 65 years, that there is a possibility of authorizing another person\nto collect their pension from the bank on the basis of a one-time power of\nattorney (the form for the same is published on the Fund’s website).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BiH Public Procurement Agency<\/strong> has issued a\nstatement that in a situation of extreme urgency, when it is not possible to\napply regular public procurement procedures it may use the negotiated procedure without the\npublication of procurement notices under the conditions prescribed by law. The\ncontracting authorities have the opportunity to amend the tender documents in\nsuch a way as to extend the deadlines for the submission of tenders for a\ncertain period, with a justification based on the situation in BiH caused by\nthe coronavirus pandemic. With respect to the rights of the bidders and other\ninterested parties to attend the opening of tenders, as well as site visits,\nthe Agency notes the need to follow the recommendations regarding the\nconditions and the number of persons who may be in one place. With regard to\nthe implementation of the negotiated procedure or other procedures involving\nnegotiation between the contracting authority and the candidate\/tenderer, the\nAgency recommends that the contracting authorities conduct the same by\ntelephone. The Agency points out that the contracting authorities have to\ncomply with the provisions regarding the authentication of documents, but that\nthey can amend the tender documents and reduce the requirements  related to certified documents, except for\nthose strictly required by the Law, which are prescribed in Articles 45 and 52\nof the BIH Law on Public Procurement of BiH. The contracting authority is\nprimarily obliged to comply with all measures, recommendations and prohibitions\nissued by the competent authorities, in accordance with which the contracting\nauthority provides insight into tenders, with the prohibition of discrimination\non any grounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Employers <\/strong>are advised to prevent termination of employment contracts, since in that case they will be unable to exercise the right to assistance from the RS Government, which will be defined in the coming period. In addition, it is recommended that the work process should be organized with a minimum number of on-site executors, and that enhanced workplace disinfection measures must be introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economy, Finance and Banking<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On\nApril 3, the Government of the Federation of BiH adopted the Draft Law on\nMitigation of Negative Economic Consequences<\/strong><\/a>, which envisages 10 measures to recover the\neconomy, as follows: 1) subsidies for mandatory insurance contributions, 2) all\nlevels of government are enabled to relocate their resources, 3) the Law\nensures the stability of all payments from the budget, pensions, veterans,\nsocial and other benefits, 4) the obligation to pay the advance payment of\nprofit tax is abolished, 5) the entrepreneurs are abolished the obligation to\npay income tax, 6 ) the calculation and payment of default interest on public\nrevenues during the period of the state of disaster, and 90 days after the\nsame, shall be suspended. 7) all legal, civil, enforcement and out-of-court\nproceedings will be suspended during the duration of the state of disaster, 8)\nthe calculation of default interest on all delays in payment of obligations is\nsuspended; 9) the statute of limitations will be stopped in this period and 30\ndays after the end of the state of disaster, 10) establishment of a Guarantee\nFund. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FBiH\nGovernment has previously decided to request from the FBiH Office of Joint\nAffairs to reduce rents by 50% for the use of the premises it manages and the\ndecision to reduce the health insurance contribution of employees working\nabroad. The FBiH Government has previously adopted information on the\nGovernment’s Program of Activities for stabilizing the economy and remedying\nthe effects of the coronavirus pandemic, namely: setting up a special fund for\nstabilizing the economy, then establishing a guarantee fund, introducing a\nmoratorium on repayment of loans, and introducing credit lines for the economy,\nespecially for small and medium-sized enterprises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Decree\non Prescribing Measures for Direct Price Control in the Republic of Srpska <\/strong>entered\ninto force on April 2, and the same stipulates that prices will be established,\nhaving regard to March 5, 2020, margin percentage, while the list of products\ncovered by this measure has been expanded. This decree repeals the earlier\nDecree on Returning Prices on the same level as on March 16. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the FBiH,\ncertain products may not have a price higher than the one they had on March 5, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In\nthe Republic of Srpska, the deadline for payment of tax liabilities on profit\ntax, income tax, as well as all fees arising from the final account has been\nextended to June 30, 2020.<\/strong>\nBusinesses entities wishing to obtain the aforementioned reliefs may submit to\nthe RS Tax Administration a written statement for delay of payment of tax\nliabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RS\nGovernment has decided to extend the payment period for obligations on the\nbasis of the loan granted to business entities so April, May and June\ninstalments, according to the RS Investment and Development Bank are extended until\nJune 30, 2020, while the Investment and Development Bank of the Republic of\nSrpska a.d. Banja Luka<\/strong> has granted beneficiaries of loans and direct\nplacements a three-month moratorium on their repayment, starting on April 1,\n2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nRS Tax Administration<\/strong>\ninformed taxpayers that the deadline for submission of annual tax returns was\nextended to April 30, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nFederation of BiH Tax Administration<\/strong> has extended the deadline for filing tax\nreturns until April 15, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BiH Council of Ministers<\/strong> <\/strong>passed\na decision establishing an exemption from the calculation and payment of\nindirect taxes and the refund of indirect taxes already paid on equipment and\nassets donated by domestic and international entities for the purpose of\npreventing, combating and eliminating the epidemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 1, the Council of Ministers of BiH<\/strong>\nadopted the Information of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations\non a common list of vital products established by the CEFTA Secretariat\nregarding the facilitation of trade. The list of basic products important for\nthe population (meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, vegetables,\nfruits) will be treated through the so-called a green priority lane for\ntraffic at certain border crossings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 19, the BiH Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> informed interested parties about the possibility of applying for a “force majeure certificate<\/em>” (Lat. Vis Maior), where for objective reasons (weather, energy reductions, earthquakes, etc.) will be temporarily or permanently abolished contractual obligations and the company will be able to prove to its business partners that it is not possible to comply with the contractual obligations for reasons that could not have been foreseen, eliminated or avoided. The Force Majeure Certificate need not be obtained for contracts that do not have an international element (contracts concluded in BiH and only valid in the territory of BiH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The RS\nChamber of Commerce<\/strong> has submitted to the competent institutions of RS and\nBiH a proposal for a set of measures to support the economy with the aim of\nmitigating the effects of the impact of the coronavirus on the economy of the\nRepublic of Srpska. All local businessmen facing difficulties in business\ncaused by the spread of the coronavirus are invited to complete a survey (which\ncan be found on the Chamber of Commerce’s website) and report business\nproblems, on the basis of which business support measures will be created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Republic of Srpska Banking Agency<\/strong>\nissued a Decision on temporary measures by banks to mitigate the negative\neconomic consequences caused by the COVID-19 and the Decision on Interim Measures by Microcredit\nOrganizations to Mitigate the Negative Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Virus\nDisease. The provisional measures relate to granting relief to bank clients\nsuch as: moratorium, introduction of grace period for repayment of the\nprincipal of credit liabilities for a maximum period of 6 months, approval of\nan additional amount of exposure, etc. On April 3, the RS Banking Agency\npublished<\/strong> on its website the answers to questions of banks regarding the\nDecision on interim measures.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FBiH Banking Agency<\/strong> has informed\nthe public that a moratorium or other reliefs will be introduced in relation to\nloan repayments to all citizens who were affected by the declared state of\ndisaster in the Federation of BiH. This temporary measure does not include\nofficials, government employees, employees of public companies, budget users,\nas well as anyone else who is receives regular salary. The\nAgency has previously adopted decisions on provisional measures for the\ntreatment of credit obligations of individuals and legal entities, on the basis\nof which special measures may be granted to clients, such as: moratorium, introduction\nof a grace period for repayment of the principal, approval of increased amount\nof exposure, as well as other measures aimed at facilitating the settlement of\ncredit obligations and the maintenance of clients’ business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Solidarity Fund<\/strong> has been set up in the Republic\nof Srpska, to which funds can be paid to remedy effects caused by the\ncoronavirus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 29, the Banja Luka City Committee for Emergency Situation <\/strong>adopted a set of economic and social measures for certain activities whose work is completely prohibited or restricted, and determined subsidies, reliefs or write-offs  (e.g. exemption from payment of utility taxes or  public areas, rents, etc.), and entrepreneurs and businesses entities will be able to complete an electronic questionnaire on business difficulties by May 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Education and culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All elementary and secondary schools and\nhigher education institutions in BiH are closed, and the educative process is\nconducted through distance education.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Republic of Srpska\nduring the spring school-break in the period\nfrom April 13-16 the regular distance learning for elementary and secondary\nschools will be continued.\nFirst grade children enrolment will take place as soon as the conditions are\nfulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The April exam for students should be held when the\nconditions are fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All kindergartens have been closed, <\/strong>with the exception of one kindergarten within\nthe RS Centre for Pre-school Education for the accommodation of children for\nwhom there is no alternative to home care. The stay of children in the\nkindergarten within the Centre will not be paid for the month of April, while\nthe March will be reduced by 50%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All performances in theatres, as well as other\ncultural events in BiH, are cancelled for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The City of Banja\nLuka have cancelled all manifestations scheduled for the City’s Day on April 22.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All spring and summer events in organisation of the\nPublic Institution Banja Luka Tourist Organization have been cancelled, and it\nincludes – Cevap fest, July Kozara ethnos and Summer on Vrbas\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: The above\ninformation is designed to provide an overview of measures and activities taken\nby the competent authorities. The information does not constitute detailed\nlegal advice on a case-by-case basis.<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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