The agreement received unanimous support despite objections from Muslim and Croat deputies that it was not sufficiently precise and that the police reform should not last five years as envisaged by the agreement.
The agreement was proposed by Republika Srpska President Dragan Covic and it envisages the transfer of legislative and financial powers in the police sector from the entity level to the state level, as well as the depoliticising of police forces. The structure of police districts has not been defined yet, and a special task force will be set up by the end of the year to deal with that issue.
The agreement was previously adopted by the parliaments of the country's two entities.
The authorities in Sarajevo expect the agreement on police reform to help them get the green light for the start of talks on stabilisation and association with the EU by mid-December.