The Centre for Economic and Rural Development (CERD) was officially opened on 12 October 2016 in Krnete Municipality in Laktasi. The Centre was opened by Mariangela Fittipaldi, Acting Head of Operations Section for Economic Development, Natural Resources and Infrastructure at the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miroslav Kodžoman, Mayor of Municipality Laktaši, and Miodrag Matavulj, Director of CERD Centre. The Centre will support the economic development in the four partner Municipalities: Laktasi, Gradiska, Kozarska Dubica and Srbac by providing services to small and medium enterprises and other players in rural areas.

The reconstruction of the old school in Krnete and opening of the Centre for Economic and Rural Development (CERD) is financed by the European Union through the Regional Growth through Economic and Rural Development – “ReGERD Project”, which is implemented by the Agency for Cooperation, Education and Development (ACED) together with project partners – the municipalities of Gradiška, Kozarska Dubica, Laktaši, and Srbac, Association LAG SAVUS, Local Development Agency of Kozarska Dubica, and the University Entrepreneurship Centre Banja Luka.

Addressing the media, Fittipaldi said: “Opening of the Centre for Economic and Rural Development, CERD, is a great achievement of the local partners, coordinated by the Agency for Cooperation, Education and Development, ACED, which implements the project “Sava Garden – Regional Growth through Economic and Rural Development.” This Project is part of the €5.2 million grant support currently implemented by the European Union through local partnerships across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The newly established Centre for Economic and Rural Development will provide the services to small and medium enterprises focusing on agriculture and rural development. This project is an example of a good local partnership initiative of business people, the government and service providers, who have come together to promote the Centre for Economic and Rural Development as a regional centre for business and development of innovations and investments for local entrepreneurial initiatives. It is now up to the local partners to improve the quality of services and training, who will be at the disposal of businesses in order to make the Centre fully operational and make sure it is a driving force for development and job opportunities.”

Miroslav Kodžoman, Major of the Laktaši Municipality has stated that the Centre would also promote the investments in rural areas.

“During the project a whole set of services have been developed focusing on the support to small and medium enterprises. This primarily includes better planning, product development, product branding, finding the market for their products and making connections with partners abroad,” said Mr Miodrag Matavulj, Head of CERD.

The reconstruction of the Centre was finished in the scope of the project whose total value is EUR 597,638 or BAM 1,168,878. Apart from the reconstruction of the building and establishment of CERD, a series of other activities were carried out on this project, such as the establishment of municipal business councils, provision of services including business and marketing planning, product development and branding, creation of export strategies, and introduction of production standards for small and medium enterprises.

The Centre provides competitiveness building services for SMEs and agricultural producers in all four LAG municipalities: Gradiška, Kozarska Dubica, Laktaši, and Srbac. So far, the project has worked with 325 business entities.

For more information please contact:

Bojan Arambašić, + 387 51 325 610, bojan.a@cerd.ba

Duško Vučić, + 387 65 511 029, d.vucic@aced.ba