Chairman Zvizdić and His Deputies Bevanda and Šarović with EBRD High Delegation

Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BIH Dr Denis Zvizdić, together with his Deputies, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Šarović and Minister of Finance and Treasury Vjekoslav Bevanda, met today in Sarajevo with a high delegation of directors, members of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Steering Board. 

Chairman Zvizdić thanked for EBRD support to BIH, saying that the previous projects in the area of infrastructure and economic development have been successfully implemented. He stressed the fact that the EBRD is the most important institutional investor to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said that the European integrations and MAP activation for membership in NATO are the most important foreign-policy priority of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He informed the high delegation of the level of both the realisation of the Economic Reform Agenda aims and fulfilment of requirements on the road to the European Union. He underlined that the Council of Ministers of BIH defined Action Plans and strategic aims in key infrastructural sectors, energy, industry, agriculture and tourism. He said it would be necessary over the coming period to keep the quality of investments into infrastructure, tourism, agro business and energy efficacy, together with increasing the quality of resources for SMEs, aiming to increase their productivity and job creation, with focus to the youth. The EBRD representatives expressed their satisfaction with the implementation of the projects agreed to date. They informed Chairman Zvizdić and Ministers Šarović and Bevanda of the development of a five-year strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also expressed their satisfaction with the fact that the mentioned key sectors match with the strategic directions defined in the five-year EBRD plan. They showed their interest in development of private sector and agreed that the infrastructure sector is extremely important and that it should be focused to SMEs.

Chainman Zvizdić said to the EBRD high officials that the Council of Ministers of BIH will work in the coming period on strengthening of business environment, and emphasised that other than the economic development of BIH, one of permanent priorities is the job generation for the youth.

The EBRD representatives commended the adoption of a series of mid-term and long-term strategies, aimed at improvement of quality of life of people. They emphasised the importance of the arrangement agreed-to with the IMF, stressing its relevance for the financial stability and economic development.

The meeting discussed the EBRD annual meeting, to take place in Sarajevo in 2019, which was decided last May at the London Conference of Governors.

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