Acting High Representative and Brčko District Supervisor Louis Crishock said that Brčko has the potential to develop into a regional economic and development hub, highlighting the District’s geographic, political and economic advantages.
Speaking at the Brčko Business Forum, focused on the question of how to transform Brčko District into a regional development hub, Crishock praised the organizers for bringing together representatives from the business and public sectors to discuss the District’s future.
“We are all well aware of the attributes of Brčko District that have begun to attract investment,” Crishock said, pointing first to Brčko’s geographic advantages, including its arable land, location on the border of the European Union, access to the Sava-Danube river network and its position at the intersection of future highway connections with some of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s and the region’s largest cities.
He also emphasized Brčko’s political and administrative position as a self-governing unit that answers directly to the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Businesses in Brčko can expect two levels of regulations and taxation, rather than the three or four found elsewhere in BiH,” Crishock said.
He also highlighted Brčko’s tradition of multi-ethnic harmony and cooperative governance, describing these as factors that have made the District a “beacon for Bosnia and Herzegovina.”
However, Crishock stressed that the key question is not simply what makes Brčko attractive to investors, but what will bring investors to the District and encourage them to remain there.
“Put another way, how does Brčko move from being a place that is promising for business to one that delivers for business, now and in the future,” he said.
According to Crishock, Brčko’s strategic location as a potential multimodal transport hub must be supported by concrete investments in road, rail and port infrastructure.
“This will involve hard choices, hard work and significant investment – but Brčko and her leaders are capable of all three,” he said.
He added that Brčko’s business-friendly approach and dialogue with employers must be accompanied by effective governance, stable political conditions and continued efforts to strengthen the private sector.
“To achieve this, Brčko will need to budget effectively and execute those budgets efficiently, all to construct the infrastructure and provide the services a growing district will need,” Crishock said.
He stressed that efficient public administration and a modern civil service would be essential to achieving these goals, adding that reforms would be necessary to ensure that the administration can respond to present and future challenges.
“Change is never easy, but it is possible. Here, too, I believe that Brčko’s leaders – in all branches of government – have what it takes to seize this historic opportunity,” he said.
Crishock said that if the necessary elements are put in place, Brčko, investors, entrepreneurs and citizens can create new jobs and generate economic growth, which would in turn provide additional tax revenues and strengthen social services.
“Will this be easy? No, but to paraphrase U.S. President Kennedy, we choose to do these things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard,” Crishock said.
He concluded by pledging his support to everyone working toward Brčko’s economic development, including representatives of the executive and legislative branches, government and opposition, civil service, non-governmental sector and citizens.
“All in Brčko who wish to contribute to the successful completion of this hard work … will have my full support as Supervisor and the support of my team,” he said.
