BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
FEDERATION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
HERZEGOVINA-NERETVA CANTON
MINISTRY FOR DEFENDANTS'/VICTORIANS' AFFAIRS
GUIDE
For access to information pursuant to
the Law on Freedom of Access to Information
in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
February 2026
1. INTRODUCTION
This Guide to Access to Information (hereinafter: the Guide) has been created with the aim of assisting requesters in exercising their rights in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Freedom of Access to Information in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina", No. 32/01 and 48/11), (hereinafter: FOIA), or to instruct all interested parties on how to obtain information held by the Ministry for Veterans' Affairs of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Ministry).
Pursuant to the FOIA, every natural and legal person has the right to access information under the control of a public body, and a public body has a corresponding obligation to disclose such information.
The right to access information may be limited only in the manner and under the conditions set out in this Law.
The Guide contains:
simple instructions for making a request;
instructions on the procedure and deadlines that the Ministry must adhere to when processing your request;
instructions on the circumstances under which access to the requested information may be denied;
instructions on legal remedies;
and a copy of the FOIA request.
The guide is free and you can get it at the premises of the Ministry, Kralja Petar Krešimir IV 8/A, Mostar, find it on the website of the Ministry or ask our information officer Anđela Pažin, B.Sc.iur.
Our contacts are:
Phone: 036 311 550
Fax: 036 311 650
E-mail: [email protected]
We hope that the information in this Guide will be useful to you.
2. PROCEDURE AND DEADLINES FOR ACTING ON YOUR REQUEST
2.1. The Freedom of Information Act provides you with the right to access information held or controlled by all public bodies
In order to exercise this right, you must submit a written request in one of the official languages of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating your personal data and the type of information you are requesting.
It is our obligation to consider whether the received request is complete.
If we determine that the request is not complete, we will inform you of this within eight days.
Processing your request may take up to 15 days.
2.2. If we are not competent for the information you are requesting, we are obliged to forward your request to the competent body no later than eight days from the date of submission of the request, of which we will inform you in writing
2.3. As a rule, you can request any information held by the Ministry, except for that which, in accordance with the FOIA, may be exempt from disclosure
The answer to your question may be denied in whole or in part, if your question relates to three categories of information that the FOIA determines may be exempt from disclosure, namely:
1. Competence of a public body, and concerns the interests of defense and security, protection of public safety, prevention and detection of crime and protection of decision-making processes in a public body, which does not include facts, statistics, scientific or technical information (Article 6 of the FOIA);
2. Confidential commercial interests of a third party - the authorized information officer shall, without delay, notify the third party in writing of the details of the request and warn that the requested information will be disclosed, unless it responds in writing within 15 days of receiving the notification that it considers the information to be confidential and states the reasons why its disclosure could cause harm. Upon receipt of the response, an exception to the disclosure of the requested information will be determined (Article 7 of the FOIA);
3. Privacy - an exception to the communication of the requested information will be established, if it is reasonably established that the information includes personal interests related to the privacy of a third party (Article 8 ZOSPI)
We will inform you about the fact that your information is exempt from the announcement within fifteen days.
This deadline may be longer in cases where it is necessary to obtain a third party's statement of consent for the publication of information containing confidential interests.
2.4. It is important to emphasize that state administration bodies do not have the right to charge fees for requests submitted under the FOIA
2.5. Your obligation, in accordance with the Instructions of the Federal Ministry of Justice, is only to pay the costs of reproduction.
3. LEGAL POSSIBILITIES
3.1. To whom does the FOIA apply?
The FOIA applies to all public bodies, and it defines them as all legislative, executive, judicial authorities, bodies that perform public functions, and are appointed or established in accordance with the law, as well as legal entities that are owned or controlled by such an institution and all are obliged to respond to requests.
This Guide only applies to the Ministry!
3.2. Information in an informal/formal way?
Before submitting a formal FOIA request, please feel free to contact our information officer. If we are unable or unwilling to share information with you informally, you can submit a formal request in accordance with the FOIA.
3.3. Specify your ZOSPI request?
In order for us to comply with your request, you need to specify your request, indicating exactly what information you are looking for and in what volume.
3.4. Who should you send your FOIA request to?
You should send your request to our information officer.
Requests must be in writing in one of the official languages of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They must include your name and surname, address, and preferably a telephone number where we can contact you.
3.5. Within what period can you receive the requested information?
If we are competent to process your request, and if there is no need to extend the time limits, you will receive a response on whether your access has been granted or denied within 15 days of the date we received your request.
When the Ministry grants access to the requested information, it will inform you by decision about the possibility of personal access to the information at the Ministry's premises or will provide it to you in writing, if the information does not contain more than ten pages. Otherwise, you are obliged to pay a copying fee, of which we will inform you in advance.
3.6. What if the Ministry does not have the information?
If the Ministry does not possess the requested information, as well as in the event that it does not have access to that information, we are obliged to forward the request to the body that can fulfill it within 8 days of receiving it. We will inform you in writing about the forwarding of your request.
3.7. How does access to information take place?
Once access has been granted, either in full or in part, the Ministry will inform you in writing about the possibility of personal access to the information at our premises at a time that suits both you and the authorized officer.
We will also inform you about the possibility of obtaining copies of the requested information after payment, as well as about the costs of reproduction.
3.8. When will the requested information be exempt from disclosure?
When the request requests access to information that may be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, it will be assessed whether its publication, in whole or in part, is in the public interest.
3.9. What can you do if access is not granted?
If the Ministry refuses access to the information you requested, in part or in full, you will be informed in writing within 15 days of receiving the request.
In the letter, we will state the reasons that led us to refuse access to the information, the legal basis for the exemption status, all material issues that are important for the decision, and provide instructions on legal remedies.
4. SEARCH OUR INDEX REGISTER
In order to more easily exercise your right to access information and know what information the Ministry holds, as well as in what form it is available, we refer you to our Index Register, which is available via the Ministry's website, from our information officer, as well as on the Ministry's protocol.
The form for the Request for Access to Information is attached to this guide and can be downloaded here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Herzegovina-Neretva County/Canton
Ministry for Veterans'/Warriors' Affairs
Minister Đuro Prkačin, B.Econ.
INDEX REGISTER
Information held
by the Ministry for Veterans'/Warriors' Affairs HNC
This index register contains information that is in the possession of the Ministry of Veterans/Combatants of HNC (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) and that is available in accordance with the Law on Freedom of Access to Information in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Official Gazette of the FBiH", No. 32/01 and 48/11) and the Instruction on the Implementation of the Law on Freedom of Access to Information in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina ("Official Gazette of the FBIH", No.: 57/01), namely:
1. Information related to legal regulations and by-laws
Laws
- Law on the rights of veterans and their family members ("Official Gazette FBIH", number: 33/04, 56/05, 70/07, 9/10, 90/17, 29/22 and 60/24);
- Act on Supplementary Rights of Veterans and Their Family Members ("Official Gazette of the HNC", No.: 6/18, 4/21, 7/22, 11/23);
- Regulation on Uniform Criteria and Rules for the Employment of Veterans and Their Family Members in the Herzegovina-Neretva County-Canton ("Official Gazette of the HNC", No.: 1/24, 5/25).
Regulations
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to a one-time financial aid to cover funeral expenses ("Official Gazette of HNC", number: 8/18, 12/22);
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to financial assistance to cover the costs of erecting a tombstone or memorial ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 9/18);
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to health insurance ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 8/18);
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to medical prevention and rehabilitation ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 10/24);
- Ordinance on exercising the right to housing ("Official Gazette of HNC", number: 12/25)
- Ordinance on exercising the right to benefits in the payment of fees in educational institutions ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 14/25);
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to orthopedic and other aids ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 1/19, 6/21);
- Rulebook on the criteria and procedure for exercising the right to one-time financial assistance during treatment and one-time financial assistance for a state of social need ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 7/24)
- Rulebook on the procedure for exercising the right to assistance in projects of self-employment, job creation and other forms of employment ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 12/25);
- Ordinance on determining the conditions, criteria and procedure for exercising the right to further education, professional training and retraining ("Official Gazette of HNC", number: 2/19);
- Rulebook on the conditions and method of exercising the right to co-financing the costs of accommodation in geriatric centers ("Narodne novine HNC", number: 7/23).
2. Information related to the Ministry
- Overview of the Ministry's job positions;
- Data from the records on civil servants and employees;
- Data on the implementation of training for civil servants and employees;
- Information on the database relating to published public vacancies for the recruitment of civil servants and employees;
- Information on the exercise of rights and the manner of protecting the rights of civil servants and employees;
- Data on working hours;
- Appointments for receiving citizens and working with clients;
- Data on the number and content of questions asked by citizens via e-mail.
3. Information relating to the exercise of the rights of the veteran population
- Data on the conditions, manner and procedure for exercising the supplementary rights of persons referred to in Article 1 of the Act on Supplementary Rights of Veterans and Members of Their Families ("Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia", No. 8/06);
- Data on the number of beneficiaries of family disability benefits;
- Data on the number of beneficiaries of personal disability benefits;
- Data on legal opinions and clarifications of laws and other regulations under the jurisdiction of the ministry.
4. Information on the procedure for implementing public announcements
- Date of publication and date of closing of the public announcement/tender, i.e. the deadline for submitting applications;
- Collection of application forms;
- Required documentation;
- Information on the names of the members of the Commissions;
- Information relating to the notification to candidates who do not meet the requirements required in the public announcement/tender under the jurisdiction of the Ministry;
- Notification to candidates who meet the requirements required by the public announcement/tender under the jurisdiction of the Ministry;
- Information on the holding of the public announcement/tender under the jurisdiction of the Ministry;
- Information on the manner of implementing the procedure for public announcements/tenders under the jurisdiction of the Ministry.
The index register can be obtained free of charge upon request from the Information Officer at the Ministry for Veterans' Affairs in the HNC, Kralja Petra Krešimira IV 8/A Mostar, tel: 036/311-550, fax: 036/311-650.
We would like to point out that when providing information, the Ministry will take special care of the provisions of the Law on the Protection of Personal Data ("Official Gazette of BiH": 12/25) and the Law on the Protection of Classified Data ("Official Gazette of BiH" No. 54/05, 12/09).