In addition to supporting the development of the BiH economy, the EU4Business Recovery project enabled new employment for a certain number of people, it was pointed out at the two-day conference ‘Entrepreneurship in BiH: Report of Success 2023’, which opened today in Sarajevo.

Gianluca Vannini, Head of the Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, said that the EU remains committed to helping the recovery of the BiH economy on the way to sustainable growth and better jobs for citizens.

He specified that in the past three years, the EU4 Business Recovery project, worth 13.7 million euros, helped save 1,000 jobs and open at least 100 new ones.

”About one million euros was allocated for five development partnerships and in this way, 130 new businesses were founded,” said Vannini.

Coordinator of the International Labor Organization in BiH, Lejla Tanović, stated that through the aforementioned project, they managed to improve and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem in BiH.

She added that they are encouraged by the fact that 137 new jobs were created, and it is especially important that 56 percent of them are women – entrepreneurs.

Mayor of the Centar Municipality Sarajevo, Srđan Mandić, stated that through the project, more than 650 citizens of Sarajevo received professional support in the development of business ventures, and 129 businesses were directly supported.

”We now experience high standards and expected work results as our obligation and continue to position Sarajevo as an entrepreneurial leader in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond,” emphasized Mandić.

The conference is organized by the Local Partnership for Employment Centar and Novo Sarajevo within the framework of the EU4 Business Recovery project financed by the European Union and the Government of Germany.