“EU enlargement is about creating better life for the citizens of BiH, and better life means more economic opportunities,” Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Khaldoun Sinno said at the presentation of a film promoting the impact and results of the EU-funded 5.2 million EUR-worth Local Economic Development (LED) Programme implemented by 11 grant projects throughout the country.

“In the EU, the SMEs are a pillar of economic activity and it should become so in BiH as well. With this film we want to show concrete and positive results achieved by the projects financed from IPA funds,” Sinno said, calling upon the local partners to act as ‘catalyst’ forthe reforms agreed at higher levels in order to ensure that support to the SME competitiveness runs in parallel at all levels of governance.

Ismar Alagić, Director of the Tešanj Development Agency explained that 33 enterprises from the local communities of Tešanj, Teslić and Žepče participated in the project.

“After the second year of the project, the companies achieved respectable results reflected in an increase of 17.3 per cent in their exports, 85.5 per cent in their turnover, and, most importantly, the creation of 461 new jobs,” Alagić said.

He also added that through this project, a whole set of different services was provided to companies involved including the introduction of international quality standards, products, processes and systems that will enable local companies to sell their products in the EU market.

The European Union is currently implementing 11 grant projects with local partners throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina worth in total 5.2 million EUR. The aim of these projects is to improve the business environment at local level for generating growth, investments and employment through better business infrastructure and services to existing and new SMEs in agro processing, wood, metal industry and tourism.

The most important results of the grant assistance include 8 business centres (in Bihać, Goražde, Ljubuški, Laktaši, Modriča, Orašje, Sarajevo, and Tuzla), 3 one-stop shop offices established in Tešanj, Teslić and Žepče. Some 400 entrepreneurs have been supported, of which 40 are start-ups and, most importantly, so far, some 500 new jobs have been created with EU support.

The projects created some innovative SME support measures which have been successfully implemented in the European Union and presented through the promotional film in the form of a “journey on best EU local economic development practices implemented in BiH”.

Over the past 15 years, the European Union has provided up to 55 million EUR to support competitiveness of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Further 15 million EUR of support is planned from this year’s IPA II programme.

The event was attended by representatives of all levels of government, main donors, beneficiaries and project partners.

The film is available on the EUD/EUSR Youtube channel at this link.