Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Denis Zvizdic, participated at the Western Balkans Summit (WB6 + EU8) that was held in the framework of the Berlin Process in London.
BiH submitted three projects with a total value of 275 million EUR at the Summit in London, and all three of them received the support of the European Commission. At the Corridor 5C in the section Tarcin-Konjic and Buna-Pocitelj in the total amount of 150 million EUR and one project of technical assistance at Corridor 5C in the total amount of 125 million EUR. BiH also received grant funds in the amount of 5 million EUR and 38 million EUR.
In his introductory speech on the topic of the economy, Chairman Zvizdic thanked the host, Prime Minister Theresa May and the Government of UK, and congratulated on the great organization of the Summit and their hospitality. He also expressed his satisfaction with the fact that this year’s summit was held in London because it sent the message that co-operation and strengthening of economic, social and cultural connections between the Western Balkans and the UK will be continued even after the Brexit.
He stated that the year of 2018 was a good year for the entire region in terms of putting the topic of enlargement back on the list of priorities of the EU, starting with the chairmanship of Bulgaria, publishing of the Strategy of European Commission on a credible perspective of enlargement, and the historic summit in Sofia. Moreover, Zvizdic congratulated the Republic of Austria on taking over the EU Presidency, and welcomed the fact that one of their priorities is the enlargement of the EU. He stated that it is important for the focus of the EU to be on the enlargement process and that positive messages were sent in this regard. He also expressed his hope that the next summit within the Berlin Process will include even more positive stories.
Chairman Zvizdic also noted the importance of the Agenda for connecting in key infrastructure fields, which allowed planning and prioritization of key infrastructure directions and projects in the past, and that ultimately led to the economic development of the region. He welcomed all the investment projects that were announced during the summit in Sofia where BiH received grants for three investment projects in the field of transport infrastructure, whose total value amounted to 32.8 million EUR and a grant for technical assistance, whose value amounted to 5, 2 million EUR.
He noted that an essential component was launched in Trieste, which is the support to the establishment of the regional economy and he noted that BiH is fully committed to the implementation of the Action Plan. He also noted that investments have crucial importance and they are the generator of economic development and he also welcomed the establishment of the Regional Investment Agenda as a platform that will give a good framework for approaching investment policies with the aim of creating a unique investment area. He introduced all of the prime ministers with the fact that a total of 84 % of surveyed foreign investors in BiH would recommend BiH as a place for investment, but that it is also necessary to improve political stability, secure the infrastructure and strengthen the rule of law. In this regard, he noted that the Council of Ministers of BiH will continue improving the business environment, primarily through implementation of the reforms under the Reform Agenda of BiH, but he added that solutions to some of these issues should be searched at the regional level.
The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH, Denis Zvizdic, signed four joint declarations of the countries participating in the Berlin Process yesterday at the WB6 + EU8 Summit in London.
Chairman Zvizdic, under the authority of the Presidency of BiH, signed the Declaration on War Crimes, the Declaration on Missing Persons, the Declaration on Regional Relations and Mutual Co-operation, and the Statement from the field of the Fight against Corruption.
Source: sarajevotimes
