Greetings
New Year’s Message by Chairman Zvizdić to BIH Citizens
12/30/2017
“At the end of year 2017, I express my pleasure for, despite numerous obstructions, positive trends in the area of European integrations and recovery and growth of BIH economy, witnessed in 2015 and 2016, were continued through 2017.
The Council of Ministers of BIH managed, in its mandate thus far, to remove years long blockage of the European road of BIH and launch numerous well planned and thought out activities towards the realisation of European obligations of BIH, to enable SSA coming into force, adopt the coordination mechanism which proved its full operability, giving a strong credibility to the EU application of BIH, in addition to getting the EC Questionnaire and soon finalisation of answering to it, which would result in attaining the candidate status and stable European perspective of BIH over the period to come.
Numerous reform taken to date at the level of the Council of Ministers of BIH were implemented in conformity with the defined dynamics, while the realisation of the Reform Agenda measures proceeds in accordance with the Action Plan, together with tens of adopted and implemented laws, strategies, policies and action plans, already giving notable results, so that the vital economic parameters over the last three years have been in a growing trend, with some of results and indicators in 2017 reaching the record values, which places Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Western Balkans region leading position by a series of sectors.
Over ten months of 2017, a record breaking domestic and regional export growth was noted reaching 16.8 per cent, of which more than 72.8% went to the EU countries, and it is a credible indicator of positive economic development of BIH.
A continued growth was made also in the industrial production, average GDP growth over the last three years was 3 %, and BIH economy becomes more and more competitive, in addition to a considerable number of jobs created over the last thirty months.
BIH, as a state, had the best prepared projects in 2017, it got KM 100 million-worth grant at the Trieste Summit, in addition to total KM 500 million-worth financial support for four projects.
Some of the secured funds account for projects in road and power infrastructure, SMEs development, and they are coupled with multimillion funds for agriculture sector development, expected to arrive in 2018, following the adoption of the rural Development Strategy.
Simultaneously, the adoption of a set of laws on excises created conditions for starting of about KM 800 million-worth investments in 2018, in the area of roads and highways construction, which is to contribute considerably to economic growth and faster flow of people and goods, as well as opening of thousands of jobs.
Tourism kept its growth trend in 2017, and remained among the fastest growing sectors of BIH economy. Other than making positive effects to BIH economy, the growth of tourism enables hundreds of thousands of visitors to get acquainted with the cultural-historic and natural heritage and beauties of our homeland Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to the World Touristic Organisation, BIH will be among ten highest tourism growth rates countries in the world by 2020, and Sarajevo, as “the European Jerusalem”, will remain among fifty most attractive cities in the world.
The year 2017 marked the highest level of foreign direct investments in the last ten years, which is to get closer to an amount of KM one billion, clearly showing that, due to the reforms implemented and business environment improvement, BIH has become an attractive destination for realisation of business ideas and plans.
Also in 2017, BIH remained the least indebted country in the region and Europe, the debt of which is less than 40% of GDP, to the contrary of some other countries of the region with debt higher than 80 or 90 per cent of their respective GDP.
In year 2017, BIH achieved the highest indirect taxes revenue, for the first time reaching beyond the amount of KM seven billion.
In international relations, BIH kept its integrity and credibility, despite numerous challenges and turbulences, remaining committed to further strengthening of its statehood elements.
So, 2017 brought about progress – evident, but insufficient – which should primarily serve as a stimulus for continued effort to realisation of the European and economic aims, fostering of rule of law and further development of both regional and international cooperation.
Of course, BIH faced numerous challenges throughout 2017, produced primarily by politicians who see dissolution as a solution and who, because of lack of responsibility, are likely prone to raze governments and prevent the state from progressing.
Insincerity, declarative attitude towards the proclaimed priorities and inconsistency in implementation of key aims by some of high ranked politicians throw the major shadow to the overall ambience in BIH, which produces an atmosphere of stress, tensions and fear.
The election year 2018 would probably be marked by similar developments and already witnessed political skirmishing, but my New Year’s message to BIH citizens is that those retrograde forces might perhaps disturb and slow down the European road, but it will not be stopped. MAP for NATO will be activated, despite obstructions, economic reforms will be continued and will certainly lead to growth and development and jobs creation, rule of law will get on strength, as did the previous successful fight against extremis and terrorism, and BIH will continue on its road of security and prosperity, as a whole and sovereign state with its territorial integrity and international personality. We will continue, in 2018 as in years to come, to build diligently and insistently our state BIH, in which we will live together, not fearing from the other or different ones. It has been like that in BIH for centuries, it will be so in future, because of all those who love BIH as its homeland, and inspite those not accepting it as its only homeland“, reads the New Year message by Chairman Zvizdić, sent to citizens.