Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Investing in Bosnia and Herzegovina Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, London, Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations April 18, 2013 MVTEO BiH 1 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina WHY INVEST IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA • Natural resources; • Liberalised trade; • Macroeconomic stability; • Stimulative tax policy; • Favorable treatment of foreign investors; • Human capital; • Competitive price of labor; • Geostrategic position; • Good supplier base; • Quality of life. MVTEO BiH 2 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD - Production and processing of fruit and vegetables; - Grape growing and wine production; - Organic production; - Livestock; - Fishery; - Beekeeping; - Growing and processing of industrial crops. MVTEO BiH 3 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Opportunities for foreign investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina: • Companies in the process of privatization or privatized companies; • Joint Venture; • PPP- Public Private Partnership; • Proximity to the EU market (from July 2013 border with EU); • Regional markets - no language barriers; • Member of CEFTA (25 million population); • WTO & EFTA – membership. MVTEO BiH 4 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN TOURISM • A land of breathtaking natural beauty and everlasting historical and cultural heritage; • The most popular tourism segments: • Ski and Mountain Tourism; • Ecotourism; • Spa Tourism; • Cultural Heritage & Religious Tourism; • Adventure Tourism; • Sea Tourism; •The tourism market is gradually increasing and Bosnia and Herzegovina is becoming an emerging tourist destination. MVTEO BiH 5 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina SKI AND MOUNTAINS • In 1984, Sarajevo hosted the XIV Winter Olympic Games; S • Great ski resorts on the Olympic Mountains: • Jahorina – the perfect ski slopes; • Bjelasnica – the best alpine skiing tracks; • Igman –massive and colorful; • Trebevic – just above the capital city; • Today you can find some of the best and cheapest alpine skiing in all of Europe; • 2017 – Bosnia and Herzegovina Host Cities for EYOF 2017 (European Youth Olympic Winter Festival – EYOWF); Field for investment: • Investment in hotel industry; • Tour operator agencies (example: China and Middle East; regional approach). MVTEO BiH 6 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina ECOTURISM, NATURAL BEAUTY • Bosnia and Herzegovina is definitely a green hearth and one of the emerging ecotourism destinations; • Number of national and nature parks such as: • Sutjeska national park; • Una national park; • Kozara national park; • Hutovo Blato (protected by the Ramsar International Convention on Wetlands); • Wild and untouched nature make BiH an ideal ecotourism destination. • Many sources of geothermal water. Field for investment: • SPA facilities; • Geothermal tourism; • Development of rural tourism (organic food). MVTEO BiH 7 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina According to National Geographic, Bosnia and Herzegovina is among 10 best a adventure destinations for 2012; Lonely Planet – Sarajevo-2nd place of top 10 EASTERN European getaways for 2012. MVTEO BiH Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina CULTURAL HERITAGE • Bosnia and Herzegovina has been the meeting point between East and West for hundreds of years; UNESCO heritage cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina: • MOSTAR, Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar (1452); • VISEGRAD, Bridge of Višegrad across the Drina River(1571-1577); • POCITELJ, the quaint oriental-style town (1383); • Many cities have Old town castels as a heritage of Bosnian Kingdom. MVTEO BiH 9 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina RELIGIOUS TOURISM • Sarajevo is the only major European city to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighborhood-Sarajevo is often called the "Jerusalem of Europe”; • Most of major religions offering a number of sacred places and unique experience to domestic and international visitors: • MEDJUGORJE, One of the largest catholic pilgrims sites in the World; • AJVATOVICA, the largest Islamic traditional and religious event in Europe; • THE SARAJEVO HAGGADAH, one of the oldest Sephardic Haggadahs in the world; • TVRDOS, 15th century Orthodox monastery; • Bosnian Medieval Tombstone. MVTEO BiH 10 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina PROJECT OF THE FUTURE • Bosnian Pyramids - are the first European pyramids to be discovered and are located in the heart of Bosnia, in the town of Visoko. The pyramid has all the elements: four perfectly shaped slopes pointing toward the cardinal points, a flat top and an entrance complex; • The possibility of investment in research. MVTEO BiH 11 Ministry Of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Thank you for your attention! Ermina Salkičević–Dizdarević, Deputy Minister Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Musala 9, 71 000 Sarajevo Phone : ++387 33 44 59 11 Fax : ++387 33 44 59 11 e-mail : [email protected] www.mvteo.gov.ba MVTEO BiH 12 .