The Sarajevo engineering fair officially opened today in Center Skenderija in Sarajevo.
Along with this fair the manifestation “Days of Energy Efficiency in Buildings”, “Tourism Days 2013” second international coffee fair “Sarajevo Espresso Specialists” and the sixth international student competition from tourism and hospitality schools will be held.
The Director of Center Skenderija Hajriz Bećirević, who opened the fair, said that the goal of the organizers was to connect the building materials industry, construction firms, representatives of all levels of government, and international organizations for financial and technical support in the realization of projects in energy efficiency in buildings so that the business climate in the BiH construction sector would improve.
He said that until a few years ago, during the time of intensive reconstruction of the country, the fair that was then called “Construction and Reconstruction” was bigger and more profitable. Due to decreased activity the fair remained without a large amount of foreign exhibitors and was thus re-named.
Bećirević said that aroud 60 exhibitors are participating at the fair, most being from BiH, and then from Serbia and Croatia.
The Minister of Economy of Canton Sarajevo Emir Hrenovica said that Sarajevo was always an economic city, but that due to debilitating economic conditions the fair is also suffering.
According to his opinion, now is the time to turn towards Europe because investors would start to arrive, and it is for this reason that the fair has full meaning.
The fair will last until 29 March, and within the framework of “Days of Energy Efficiency in Buildings” a number of lectures and presentations by representatives of local institutions, such as UNDP, EBRD, USAID will be held on this topic.
