Bosnia and Herzegovina took over the presidency of CEFTA 2006 Agreement in 2013

With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency of CEFTA 2006 Agreement, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Mr. Mirko Šarović presented priorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina during its one-year presidency, and upcoming activities.

It is expected of Bosnia and Herzegovina to take over a leadership position in these processes and thus prove institutional readiness to deepen the integration process

Bosnia and Herzegovina has already proven in a certain way that it is prepared for presiding over CEFTA structures by its presiding over the CEFTA Subcommittee on Non-tariff Barriers to Trade (NTB) and Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) in 2011 and CEFTA Subcommittee on Tariffs and Rules of Origin in 2012. Significant results were achieved during the presidency of BiH over these bodies.

Priorities of BiH during its one-year presidency over CEFTA Agreement are the following: 1. As a general goal, BiH will strive to promote trade within CEFTA, as an important component of economic growth in the region, through facilitation of trade in goods and liberalization of trade in services to the fullest extent, with increasing transparency in all areas that have an impact on trade. Within this goal the priorities are: Further trade liberalization; Facilitation of regional trade through simplification of procedures and regulations relating to trade, and elimination of unnecessary barriers to trade; Enhancing transparency in areas that have direct or indirect impact on trade; Active participation of CEFTA structures in Agenda for Regional Economic development and Monitoring of the implementation of the CEFTA Ministerial decision No. 2/2012, which refers to Article 52 of CEFTA. 2. Other priorities are defined in accordance with the common goals of all CEFTA Parties. Therefore, some of them are the continuation of activities undertaken in the previous presidencies, while other are brand new and have a particular significance for BiH. 3. Specific priorities defined by BiH for its presidency relate to further facilitation and simplification of trade, beginning of a process of liberalization of trade in services with a focus on professional services, and increasing transparency especially in the area of ​administrative barriers to trade and sanitary and phytosanitary regulations.