One of Bosnia’s top priorities is to join the EU and one of the most pressing issues in the country is mass emigration of educated youth, said the Chairman of Bosnia’s Presidency, Milorad Dodik and Foreign Affairs Minister Igor Crnadak in their speeches at the opening of the 2019 Sarajevo Business Forum on Wednesday.
Bosnia has many resources to offer to foreign investors and it is not a country where labour is cheap, Dodik said.
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“We need to build up a sustainable economic system. We need jobs that are well paid, poor people don’t live here, but emancipated people who want to progress and have good salaries do. We need, as a country, to reject cheap labour offers,” he said.
“One of the most destabilising issues currently is the emigration of youth, of educated people who obtain their diplomas in our schools and now they are going out into the world,” Dodik said, adding that “people too easily decide to leave.”
“This is not only an issue of our incompetence but also of the strategies of EU countries (which aim) to attract workforce,” Dodik claimed.
Only accelerated development in the fields such as energy can move the country away from destabilisation, he said.
Dodik spoke about the business environment in the country in an attempt to attract investors.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina has two entities which makes the political life more difficult, but Bosnia is safe for business. In Bosnia, you can freely invest and safely develop your business, that is what helps develop a secure future,” he said, defining Bosnia’s priorities as “security and development.”
“Today, we need help with development,” he added, saying that “Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the entire region, is becoming very interesting in the world of business.”
He also pointed out Bosnia’s accession to the EU as a priority.
“One of the most important political consensuses that were made were based upon decisions for different political forces from three national groups to gather around the idea of Bosnia’s integration into the EU. Nobody will give up on that priority and we will continue to have good relations with Turkey and all countries which have proven themselves as stable partners and safe partners,” he said.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Igor Crnadak, agreed with Dodik.
Crnadak said there are two main foreign policy goals for Bosnia.
“One of them is Bosnia’s membership in the EU, and the other is regional cooperation,” he said, adding that the reforms necessary for EU membership and regional cooperation provide a “secure, legal and political atmosphere which creates conditions for more investments and more economic progress.”
Taking into consideration all the political disagreements and tensions within Bosnia, the one thing that all political forces stand behind is the Sarajevo Business Forum, he said.
He pointed out “some of the things that need to be done” in the country.
Crnadak said that the reason why youth is leaving needs to be assessed.
“According to all data, the economy is not the top reason anymore, the main reason is general uncertainty and insecurity,” he said.
The perception of corruption at all government levels has grown from 36 per cent in 2015 to 72 per cent now, he said, adding that this number is “the highest in the region.”
Crnadak also said that Bosnia needs to regain citizens’ trust in its institutions.
“I think that we will, through the fight against corruption and the strengthening of the rule of law in the most efficient way, tend to the issue of youth and their emigration,” he said.
The business environment needs to be strengthened, he emphasised, citing a study which said that 90 per cent of the youth ending their education wants to have a career in “some government office.”
“It is devastating that young people see their peak in sitting in the same office for 40 years,” the minister said.
Crnadak called the Sarajevo Business Forum a special event for young people that can “contribute to Bosnia and Herzegovina being a fertile ground for new projects,” he said.
