III) INSTITUTIONS

1.Stronger common institutions: The common institutions are now established. But they do not work well, and co-operation with the Entities is poor. Making the common institutions effective, in the role set out for them in the GFAP, is a key task now.

2. The Council welcomes the attention which the High Representative has placed on this issue in recent months. Restructuring of the Council of Ministers is due to start imminently. The re-structuring of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is underway, and the training of diplomats for example at the Marshall Center in Germany has begun. The Presidency and the Council of Ministers now have a permanent home in the former Parliament building at Marijin Dvor. But more needs to be done.

3. In the coming year, the Council announces its full support for the High Representative's determination to strengthen the common institutions. It supports his intention to do this by working with the BiH authorities to:

• ensure that mechanisms for proper financing of State institutions are established and work effectively;
• back any initiative ensuring the smooth running of decision-making procedures within the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It welcomes the efforts made by the Parties, in co-operation with the High Representative and OSCE, to develop draft legislation concerning succession to Presidency Members in case of vacancy;
• reform the operation, in accordance with its constitutional procedures, of the Council of Ministers in order to improve its ability to take decisions and implement them in a business-like and efficient fashion. This could best be achieved by extending the period of chairmanship, by dividing the over- extended mandate of the Ministry of Civil Affairs by putting in place a ministry, or a limited number of other ministries/agencies, as appropriate -- for example, legal affairs, transport and communications and a new finance ministry to include treasury functions;
• develop a greater degree of co-operation and consultation between the common institutions and the Entity authorities in order to ensure jurisdictional issues are properly resolved;
• promote proportional representation whenever the Federation and BiH Constitutions provide for indirect election of members of parliamentary assemblies, which the Council considers as a valuable contribution to fostering pluralism in BiH political life and applying sound democratic principles;
• further develop and improve the relationship between Bosniaks and Croats in the Federation by establishing the Federation Implementation Council as envisaged in the protocol of the Federation forum held in Washington on the 14 May1996;
• create as soon as practicable a service to be responsible for guarding the common institutions.This force could also be used in diplomatic protection work, guarding embassies and other diplomatic and other premises;

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