The thematic session on the perspectives of the economic development of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the prism of stable employers, organized by the Joint Commission for Economic Reforms and Development of the PSBiH, was held today in the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo.
At the thematic session, in which representatives of the Union of Employers of the RS, the Association of Employers of FBiH, and the Association of Employers of the Brčko District of BiH participated, economic reforms were discussed, the implementation of which leads to faster economic growth and development, the recession in the EU and its implications for our country, on the issues of migration, energy transition and digitization, the position of workers and the challenges that domestic employers face in their work, and questions related to the EU pre-accession aid program for rural development in BiH (IPARD), as well as perspectives in the field of production, open and export of renewable energy.
In their discussions, representatives of employers in BiH claimed that BiH economy operates in difficult conditions. They especially warned about the growing lack of labor in construction, metal and wood processing industry, tourism and catering, as well as the negative trend of mass population migration, i.e. the departure of productive labor from Bosnia and Herzegovina to the countries of the European Union.
In this regard, they emphasized the need for more significant support for the economy from government institutions at all levels, which would be reflected in incentives with the aim of retaining the workforce, as well as in changing legislation, i.e. adapting legal regulations to the current needs of the economy with the aim of facilitating the opening of new companies and strengthening competitiveness of export-oriented companies. In this context, they supported the proposal to amend the Law on Value Added Tax, which was submitted to the parliamentary procedure by MPs in the House of Representatives of the PSBiH Darko Babalj and Mladen Bosić.
The issue of the need to import skilled labor for deficit occupations was also mentioned, which was also discussed at the sessions of the Joint Commission for Economic Reforms and Development and the House of Representatives of the PSBiH through the debate on the parliamentary initiative of Nihad Omerović.
The participants of today’s meeting warned that our country is a community that has been functioning in a conflict environment for a long time, and pointed to the fact that the main reason for the departure of the workforce from the country is not of an economic nature, but, as they said, political instability, legal uncertainty and high degree of corruption in society.
In this regard, they appealed to political actors and decision-makers to reduce political tensions and inflammatory rhetoric that produces fear and insecurity among the population, and called for the improvement of social dialogue and the construction of a safe and stable system that will enable the economic and economic growth of society and improve the quality of life of all inhabitants of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The conclusions from the thematic session will be systematized and discussed at the next sessions of the Joint Commission for Economic Reforms and Development of the PSBiH, and offered to the houses of the PSBiH for comments, announced the PSBiH.
