Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the rare countries that is not the European Union (EU) member state but that exports the milk and dairy products to the EU market, Bosnia’s Foreign Trade Minister Mirko Sarovic said.

Speaking for N1, the minister said there were ten producers from Bosnia and Herzegovina currently meeting the EU standards, which is a big number considering the size of the country.

“Several more producers are about to meet the European Union’s standards,” he said pointing out it was necessary to keep the standards high.

The European Commission has placed Bosnia and Herzegovina on the list of the countries allowed to export all types of milk and dairy products to the EU, Sarovic confirmed on Monday.

The minister said in the interview for N1 that the whole sector has been preparing for this moment for the past two years, pointing out this was a great success after the country was first allowed in 2015 to export only some of the dairy products.

“This success is important for the credibility of the country in general and for the dairy sector itself,” Sarovic said.

Speaking of various obstacles that Bosnia and Herzegovina encounters in the export of its products in various sectors, Sarovic said the main reasons for that was lack of the will to work together.

“We all have to be ready to do the part of the job we are responsible for, we are paid for, what we are in charge for. We simply have to jump over that wall and to coordinate, work together, and that’s what matters the most,” the minister concluded.