Trade Gap Narrowing – But More Jobs Could Be
Created.

The High Representative is addressing the BiH Foreign Trade Chamber this
morning.

He will remind his listeners that improvements in the BiH business
environment – including enacting the Law on National Fiscal
Council, the Law on Obligations, the Salary law, and the
Pharmaceuticals Law, and centralising banking supervision (all of which could be
done by the end of the summer) would offer a huge boost to BiH exporters.

The follow-on from this would be more jobs and higher livings standards.

As it is, BiH is enjoying strong export growth despite the slow pace
of progress in improving the business environment.

I’ve brought along copies of the High Representative’s speech.

Regional Development Agencies Need Better Cooperation from
Authorities

Later today, the High Representative and the Head of the European
Commission’s Delegation, Michael Humphreys, will take part in a roundtable
with the directors of BiH’s Regional Development Agencies. The roundtable will
be chaired by Principal Deputy High Representative Larry Butler.

The focus will be on transforming regional development into job creation –
something that can start to happen when the RDAs receive better cooperation from
relevant government departments, and when all of the agencies responsible for
attracting investment to BiH – including FIPA, the BiH embassy network, the
business service centres and the RDAs – work together in order to optimize
results.