SECTOR FOR WATER RESOURCES, TOURISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH is in charge of carrying out activities and tasks within the competence of BiH related to the definition of policy, basic principles, coordination of activities and harmonization of plans of entity bodies and institutions on an international level in the fields of environmental protection, development and use of natural resources, and tourism. These activities are carried out in the Sector for Water Resources, Tourism and Environmental Protection, which consists of three sections: Department for Water Resources, Department for Tourism and Department for Environmental Protection.

The Water Resources Department, in accordance with its competencies, and domestic and EU legislation in this area, contributes, through regional and international cooperation, as well as cooperation with entity competent institutions, to better management and use of water resources in BiH and wider. All key activities of the Water Resources Department of the MoFTER BiH regarding coordination, from the aspect of international assistance and cooperation in the field of water resources, are carried out in consultation with the competent entity ministries.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country rich in water resources. According to the World Bank (WB) data, BiH is the country with the largest amount of drinking water in the region, the seventh in Europe, and by water resources, it is richer than many countries in the world. Taking into account that the key commitment of BiH is to integrate into the European Union, the reform and priorities in the water sector are focused on the application of European legislation, that is, harmonization of domestic legislation with the European one. Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a potential candidate for EU membership, has taken, in whole or in part, all the key objectives of EU legislation on water management and incorporated them into their legal and strategic documents. The main challenges of water management are related to the proper implementation and implementation of the objectives of the Water Framework Directive, the Drinking Water Directive, the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and other Directives that allow integrated water resources management.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory country to several conventions and protocols in this area: the Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Use of the Danube River, the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin, with a number of related protocols. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, or the Water Resources Department, is actively involved in the implementation of the mentioned Agreement, through participation in working groups, meetings and other working bodies, and it carries out their implementation activities in BiH.

The Water Resources Department participates in the implementation of a number of projects in the country as well as at the regional level, which contribute to the sustainable management of water resources in accordance with the EU and domestic legislation, and the provisions of international agreements and conventions. Through the implementation of these activities, the Department actively cooperates with the EU Delegation to BiH, the World Bank, UN agencies and other international and financial organizations and institutions.

The Tourism Department is in charge of coordinating activities and harmonizing plans of entities' authorities and institutions on the international level in order to develop tourism, since Bosnia and Herzegovina is the country with the most diversified tourist offer, thanks primarily to natural beauties and unique cultural and historical heritage.

The Tourism Department carries out coordinative activities with the competent Entity Ministries of Tourism and the Government of the Brčko District and the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the Working Group for Coordination of Activities in Tourism.

In the field of realization of projects of international organizations in the field of tourism, the Department of Tourism cooperates with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), OXFAM ITALIA, the International Cooperation Agency (GIZ), the United States Agency for International Development USAID), the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the European Commission and the International Commission for the Sava River Basin.

It is necessary to emphasize the cooperation and exchange of information with the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and participation in working groups for the implementation of the Action Plans of the South East Europe Strategy (www.adriatic-ionian.eu) and the Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region with the European Union (www. rcc.int).

The Tourism Department also implements procedures for signing international agreements in the field of tourism. So far, 12 agreements on cooperation in the field of tourism with Albania, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Jordan, China, Kuwait, Slovenia and Croatia have been signed, three (3) agreements with UNWTO, related to amendments to the Statute, adoption of annexes and establishment of the ST-EP organisation (Sustainable Tourism for Poverty Reduction), the Protocol on the Development of Tourism in the Adriatic-Ionian Basin within the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative, and the signing of several agreements have been in the process of signing , among others with Hungary, Ukraine and Russia.

The Department for Environmental Protection carries out legal, analytical, expert-operational and informational and documentary activities in the field of proposing policies, basic principles, coordination and harmonization of entities’ plans and those of the Brčko District, and co-ordinates at the international level in the field of environmental protection for BiH. It bases its activities on the Law on Ministries and other bodies of the administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as on numerous ratified and adopted international environmental documents.

Cooperation with representatives of the international community is a permanent and priority task of this Department, while cooperation with the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina is number one priority. Out of the strategic documents, we emphasize the Strategy approximating the regulations to the acquis communautaire in the field of environmental protection of Bosnia and Herzegovina. By adopting this Strategy, Bosnia and Herzegovina has been granted access to EU IPA funds and other sources of funding by international institutions.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory to international treaties that provide a framework for cooperation in the area of environmental protection with the aim of promoting relations in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development among countries, respecting and obliging the parties to develop and strengthen cooperation in the field of environmental protection, with the basic task of stopping further environmental degradation and improving the existing situation and achieving the goals of sustainable development, in accordance with Agenda 2030.

The special goal of this Department is increased and direct cooperation with the relevant institutions at the lower levels of government, the non-governmental sector, enhanced cooperation with universities, other institutions and institutions of interest for the BiH environment, as well as with all the stakeholders interested in sustainable development, fight against climate change , clean and healthy environment.

The Environmental Protection Department carries out activities to ratify a number of conventions, agreements and protocols in the field of environmental protection and climate change.

The department initiates many projects, actively participates in the promotion of the need for work on sustainable environmental management, participates in the organization of expert workshops, and in the preparation and adoption of many international environmental documents. On behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the representatives of the Department of Environmental Protection are members of international environmental institutions, bureaus of various conventions, implementation committees, and other international bodies and forums where they have been achieving remarkable results.