prijava
SARAJEVO, July 26 (FENA) - More than 900 people throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina got a job, and more than 120 new businesses were created through a project financed by the European Union and the Federal Republic of Germany called "EU4Business - for an innovative and competitive domestic economy”.
The goal of the project, which was jointly implemented by GIZ, the International Labor Organization (ILO) and UNDP, was to strengthen the economy of BiH, and from April 2018 to March 2022, development projects, a large number of companies, farmers and entrepreneurs who received grants and professional support and thus increased the quality and sales of their products on the domestic and foreign markets.
Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation in BiH, Stefano Ellero, presented some information at today's final event in Sarajevo, to mark the end of implementation of this project, stating that the most important goal was to achieve business competitiveness in BiH in a very challenging time after coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
He says that 1,000 businesses have been supported through this project, especially in the field of tourism and food production, while 23 businesses have improved their competencies, effectiveness and export potential through the introduction of digital platforms and the use of robotics.
He announced that BiH's support in business development does not end with this project, but continues through two new projects, namely "EU4BusinessRecovery" and "EU support in the digitization of small and medium-sized enterprises".
UNDP Resident Representative in BiH, Steliana Nedera, said that this partnership was unique and was not recorded in other countries. She said that the importance of this project is reflected in the fact that it supports the development of the private sector in BiH.
“The financial growth of existing companies and their further development, as well as the establishment of new companies, especially those whose exports are oriented towards the European Union, are encouraged. It encouraged the private sector to modernize and digitize, and it also provided support in the post-pandemic period,” underlined Nedera.
Coordinator of the ILO in BiH, Lejla Tanović, says that this project focused on the development of inclusive entrepreneurship and improving competitiveness at the local level, which means that the target was all those who were either struggling for existence or had business ideas that they could not realize. In this sense, 534 young people and women were trained, and of the 123 businesses founded, 54 are run by women.
Danija Krieg, project manager at GIZ, said that they focused on the export-oriented sectors of metal and wood as well as tourism, adding that through financial and technical support, companies were enabled to introduce innovations and digitize their processes, which led to increased productivity, as well as export to the EU market.
The European Union provided 15 million euros for this project, while the Federal Republic of Germany provided 1.1 million euros.
(FENA) A. B.
