The Head of the EU Delegation/ EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Ambassador Johann Sattler, opened the Business Conference “Challenges and Future of Business #3” in Banja Luka’s Banski Dvori on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. Organised by the Union of Employers of Republika Srpska (RS), the conference is included in the process of developing the RS Economic Reform Programme 2022/2024 and is part of the EU-funded project “Contribution of civil society organisations to improving the impact of entrepreneurship on the socio-economic development of BiH – EISE project”.

Addressing representatives of employers’ organisations, government officials, the academic community, institutions and expert organisations, Ambassador Sattler underlined the opportunities presented through the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans worth €6 billion, including closer economic integration with the European Union and deepening regional integration.  He stressed however the importance of reform. “Only with swift and rational adoption and implementation of key reforms will BiH be able to compete on the European Market, with a population of close to 450 million and GDP of close to EUR 16 trillion in 2022”, Ambassador Sattler said. Speaking about the concrete reforms, the Ambassador noted, “Among the reforms should be transformative issues, such as electronic signature or energy legislation that will allow BiH companies to remain competitive on the European market”.

The conference “Challenges and Future of Business #3” gathered several hundred participants with a goal to discuss the key economic and social challenges and map out the steps which would contribute to development in the society. It is organised by the Union of Employers of RS for the third year in a row.