Bosnia has built a high level of trust with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the Bank's funds invested in the country have doubled over the past several of years, Bosnia's prime minister Denis Zvizdic said on Friday, after the EBRD's annual meeting in Sarajevo ended.

“The EBRD's annual meeting has improved Bosnia's business environment, and it's important that we projected a different image of Bosnia – an image of a stable country with natural resources, ready to attract investments and create jobs for youth,” Zvizdic said. “Our goal is to attract new investments and acquire new knowledge, skills and technologies.”

Western Balkan leaders presented many significant initiatives, during the meeting which also consisted of a regional investment forum.

“Creating a common platform through which the Western Balkans could jointly enter third markets is one of those initiatives, as is the idea of creating a free market for the labour-force from across the region,” the prime minister noted, adding that the recognition of diplomas and other certificates would enable the youth to freely find jobs anywhere in the Western Balkans – including Slovenia and Croatia.

This would enable the free flow of goods, people and capital using three types of infrastructure, he argued, the road, energy and digital infrastructure.

“The EBRD invested a total of €2.3 billion in Bosnia, since 1995. Recently, the EBRD's funds have tended to double in recent years, from €130 million in 2017 to €230 million in 2018, and €400 million in 2019,” Zvizdic concluded.