Sarajevo Business Forum 2012

The Bosnia Bank International Sarajevo (BBI) in cooperation with Islamic Development Bank (IDB), Global Alliance for Partnership in International Development (GAPID and the Bushnak Group is organizing the 3. International Investment Conference called “Sarajevo Business Forum 2012” in Sarajevo from May 15^th -18^th, 2012.

Forum will be held under the patronage of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. His Excellency Bakir Izetbegovic, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and H.E. Dr. Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of IDB Group are the patrons of the Conference.

The aim of the Conference is to strengthen economics ties and to attract investment into B&H and Southern Europe and it should provide businesspeople with opportunity to network and to establish business wit their counterparts

in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria and Romania. Distinguished international statesman and business leaders from Europe, USA and Asia are expected to attend the Forum.

SBF 2012 will offer projects in infrastructure, energy, tourism, agriculture, finance, construction, education and other industries. SBF 2012 will bring together government officials, policy makers, international investors and entrepreneurs as they are vital for securing investment opportunities in the emerging markets of Southeast Europe. Al Jazzera Network will be SBF’s global media partner and sponsor of the event.

To view the SBF 2012 program and to register your interest, please visit web site of the Forum.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina started accession negotiations with the EU in November 2005 and wide ranging political, social and economic reforms have already been accomplished. BiH's accelerated economic reform process has greatly improved the business climate and the country has the fastest growing economy in South Eastern Europe.

The economy has grown at a steady pace of 5% per year since 2000, a trend that is expected to be maintained in the future. This sustained annual increase of GDP, combined with rapidly rising production levels and export volumes, provides a clear indicator that the economy is in full expansion.
The stability of the konvertibilna marka – Bosnia and Herzegovina's currency – further contributes to a favourable business climate in the country. The KM is pegged to the Euro with a fixed exchange rate (1 KM = 0, 51 EUR).

A combination of the Central Bank of BiH's Currency Board and fiscal discipline has kept the underlying inflation rate the lowest in the region. In 2005, inflation was 2.9%; high by BiH standards but only slightly higher than the one prevailing in Euro-zone (2.2%). The introduction of VAT at the start of 2006 passed successfully with inflationary pressures maintained well under control.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is accelerating the privatisation process for companies of strategic importance in order to increase economic growth and enhance the volume of foreign investment.

Additionally, BiH has new powerful, modern bankruptcy laws that provide a flexible, predictable system for maximizing the economic value of companies in financial distress, thus creating potentially valuable opportunities for foreign investors.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has signed CEFTA (Central European Free Trade Agreement) with neighbouring countries and is negotiating its entry into the WTO. Companies operating in the country further benefit from the preferential trade regime with the Europe Union. This agreement allows for all goods that fulfil EU standards to be exported to each of the 27 member states without quantitative restrictions, and free of customs or other duties, until the end of 2010. Besides the EU, BiH has preferential export regimes with countries such as Canada, Japan, Russia, Turkey, and the USA; the full, up-to-date, list is available on FIPA's website.

General Economic Indicators

Source: FIPA