(SARAJEVO, April 12, 2018) According to the World Bank report “Doing Business 2018,” which, among other things, assesses the efficiency of issuing licenses, BiH is ranked 166th out of 190 countries covered by this report. This data is directly related to the volume of investments in our country, especially in the energy sector. It is the activities of the USAID Energy Investment Activity (USAID EIA) and GIZ projects “Promotion of Renewable Energy in BiH” and “Promotion of Energy Efficiency in BiH” aimed at simplifying licensing procedures and increasing their efficiency. That is why this will be one of the important topics to be discussed by the experts and decision makers at the 4th Energy Summit from April 25th to 27th in Neum.
All countries in the world have licensing systems; however, they differ in complexity and efficiency. In some countries, the approval of construction is done through a small number of licenses and in a short period of time, while in other countries, a large number of steps need to be taken to obtain a large number of licenses in procedures that can take many years. The complexity and efficiency of the licensing process is so important that in practice it serves to indicate the overall business environment in a country. In other words, slow and inefficient licensing procedures hamper investors. “In order to eliminate these obstacles and secure investment potential, we expect prompt action from decision-makers in order to simplify the licensing regime,” said Ognjen Markovic, Chief of Party of the USAID EIA project, who also announced that a special panel at the 4th Energy Summit will identify key recommendations, as well as possible solutions for their implementation in BiH.
Neum will be the meeting place of the key stakeholders in the energy sector in BiH for the fourth time, from April 25-27, 2018, organized by the USAID Energy Investment Activity (USAID EIA) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) through the projects “Promotion of Renewable Energy in BiH” and “Promotion of Energy Efficiency in BiH,” under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Federation Energy Regulatory Commission and the Republika Srpska Energy Regulatory Commission. Decision-makers, as well as key experts and interested investors will discuss the most current topics in the sector that, with the right political decisions that are still pending, can be the driver of economic development in BiH.
