The European Union and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have officially launched the EU4PEOPLE: Employment Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina, worth €5 million, aimed at modernising employment services and strengthening institutional capacities at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The programme, presented today at the EU House in Sarajevo, will, over the next 42 months, support young people, women from rural areas, persons with disabilities, social assistance beneficiaries, and other vulnerable groups facing limited access to the labour market. EU4PEOPLE represents one of the EU’s key interventions in the field of employment, aligned with European standards, the EU Pillar of Social Rights, and international labour conventions.
„It is my great pleasure to announce the launch of our new programme in the employment sector, aimed at people facing the greatest barriers in the labour market, including young people, women, and other hard‑to‑employ individuals. It will provide training for around 1,500 people, with at least 500 expected to find employment. We will introduce at least 20 labour market measures and support the creation of at least 50 new businesses. With this programme, the European Union reaffirms its long‑term commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina, not only through investments, but through concrete results: new jobs, new measures, and more opportunities for those most often left behind,” said Magdalena Mueller‑Uri, Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to BiH.
EU4PEOPLE offers comprehensive support to socio‑economic reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The programme focuses on structural challenges such as skills mismatches, insufficient institutional coordination, and unequal quality of public services — all of which have long limited employment opportunities in the country.
„EU4PEOPLE comes at an exceptionally important moment for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite certain positive economic trends, we continue to face significant structural challenges in the labour market. The Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina plays a key coordinating and strategic role in ensuring that project activities align with reform processes and obligations arising from European integration. We emphasize the importance of strong institutional ownership, as only through the joint commitment of domestic institutions can we achieve sustainable and measurable results. EU4PEOPLE is an opportunity to, through partnership, improve employability and public services for the benefit of citizens,” stated Lidija Markota, Head of Department in the Sector for Labour, Employment, Social Protection and Pensions, Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Within the EU4PEOPLE programme, the ILO is committed to supporting institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a way that acknowledges the complexity of the system, the different mandates, and the diverse capacities of partners. Experience shows that sustainable modernisation of employment services begins with understanding the context and setting realistic, shared expectations.
„EU4PEOPLE is designed to further support the transformation of employment services — from currently fragmented measures to coordinated, personalised, high‑quality services that more effectively connect people with job opportunities. We aim to ensure that institutions have the capacities, tools, and clear standards needed for long‑term improvement. The success of this programme will depend on the commitment of all partners to jointly build a coherent system that delivers better outcomes, especially for those who need support the most. The ILO remains fully committed to providing technical expertise and strong partnership throughout this process,” added Claire Harasty, Director of the ILO Office for Central and Eastern Europe.
The European Union continues to invest in the employment sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina through various programmes that strengthen employment opportunities for vulnerable groups and improve the labour market. EU4PEOPLE builds on the ongoing €5.5 million EU4Employment project and on the results of previous employment‑related initiatives, reaffirming the European Union’s long‑term support to this sector.
