Minister: End to anonymous calls that hinder the work of the judiciary

These amendments close a legal loophole that previously allowed the use of prepaid SIM cards without user registration, which in practice made it difficult or impossible to conduct effective investigations. Security and judicial institutions have faced serious limitations in identifying individuals who use telecommunications services to commit criminal offenses, since no formal subscriber relationship exists, the Ministry said in a statement.

"This is a measure that strengthens citizens' security and does not infringe on their privacy. We are not introducing monitoring of communication content, but rather the obligation to identify users, as is already the case with postpaid contracts," Minister Forto stated, expressing hope that the bill will pass the parliamentary procedure as soon as possible.

The bill also sets clear deadlines for implementation. The Regulatory Agency for Communications of Bosnia and Herzegovina is required to adopt secondary legislation within six months to regulate the registration procedure in detail, while operators have 18 months to register all existing prepaid users. Only after that deadline will operators be required to suspend services to users who have not registered.

By adopting these amendments, Bosnia and Herzegovina is responding to specific security challenges and strengthening the capacity of institutions to conduct investigations more effectively, while preserving the right to privacy, the Ministry of Communications and Transport of BiH stated.