Representatives of 11 cities, municipalities, associations/associations and development agencies from Bosnia and Herzegovina paid a study visit to cities and municipalities in the Republic of Croatia that are an example of good practice in creating a favorable business environment. The visit was organized as part of the “Local Economic Development in BiH” program implemented by Caritas from Switzerland, in which 11 cities and municipalities from Bosnia and Herzegovina participate (Banja Luka, Prijedor, Čelinac, Zenica, Tešanj, Žepče, Zavidovići, Kakanj, Doboj Jug, Doboj and Teslić).
In front of the municipality of Žepče, the meetings in the Republic of Croatia were attended by Branka Janko, director of the Žepče Development Agency, Nagib Mujkić, owner of the company “TISACOMERC” and president of the MOTRIX Žepče association, and Andreja Babić, technical secretary of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers Žepče. Most of the local governments participating in this program are certified according to the BFC SEE standard. The study visit to Crikvenica is related to the topic “Public-private dialogue and networking to more competitive local economies”.
The goal of organizing the visit is to exchange experiences and good practices in the field of improving the business environment and economic development at the local level. Representatives of the City of Crikvenica introduced the guests from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the budget, realized and planned investments and projects, measures to encourage entrepreneurship, the potential of the city and other topics related to the BFC SEE standard.
The visit enabled the representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina to learn about the successful practices and projects of the City of Crikvenica, which can serve as inspiration for similar initiatives in their communities.
The city of Rijeka also hosted representatives from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The General program of measures to encourage the development of entrepreneurship in the area of the city of Rijeka was presented, which aims to create a favorable entrepreneurial environment for encouraging small and medium-sized businesses at the local level. Additionally, the remaining efforts of the City of Rijeka in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem were presented, including support for start-ups through the Start-up Incubator of the City of Rijeka, innovative projects and cooperation with local entrepreneurs.
The activity of the Rijeka development agency Porin, which implements incubator programs in the service and production sectors, was presented. The recent opening of Sinergana, a new incubator for creative industries and IT, was announced, as part of which over 2,700 m² of usable space in the energetic former paper factory building will be arranged, which will be available to entrepreneurs from 2025 along with educational programs, a network of mentors and other program activities in order to strengthen their innovation potential. The projects of the revitalized Benčić cultural district, namely the Children’s House and the Rijeka City Library, were presented as part of the largest investment in cultural infrastructure in the history of Croatia.
In Zagreb, representatives of cities and municipalities met with the Ambassador of BiH to the Republic of Croatia, dr. sci. Elmo Kovačević-Bajtal with colleagues. She pointed out that the Embassy takes seriously its role in connecting the local communities of the two countries and that the twinning of several cities has been proposed with the aim of promoting economic cooperation, investment opportunities and increasing trade and investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She said that through the Cultural Center, the Embassy actively uses cultural diplomacy as a means of improving economic relations between the two countries.
The guest lecturers were Mr. Hristo Hristov, head of the political department of the Representation of the European Commission in the Republic of Croatia, Mr. Igor Delak from the Expert Service of the City of Zagreb and Mrs. Nera Pavić from the Office for Economy, Environmental Sustainability and Strategic Planning of the City of Zagreb. Mr. Hristov presented the European Union’s plan for the growth of the Western Balkans – which for the first time in history targets specific countries, and spoke about the plan’s focus on integration into the EU common market, the regional market and the reform agenda. Mr. Delak spoke about the process of accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union and the impact of joining the EU, as well as the possibilities of co-financing city projects through European Union funds. Mrs. Pavić held a presentation on the promotion of trades, small and medium entrepreneurship in the City of Zagreb. At the end of the program, Mr. Berry Kralj, program director of Caritas Switzerland, thanked the representatives of the Embassy of Bosnia and Herzegovina and all the lecturers for the organization and involvement in this project. Learning from the best practices and experience of other countries – in this case the Republic of Croatia – is an extraordinary opportunity for partners in the LED program in BiH to better use the competitive advantages of their local communities and prepare as well as possible for the opportunities that the EU accession process brings.
Source: razepce.com
