Minister Košarac and Ambassador Sattler talked on support and recovery of agricultural and tourism sector

Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Staša Košarac, talked in Sarajevo with the Head of the EU Delegation and EU Special Representative in BiH, Johann Sattler, about current topics and mitigating the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in BiH.

Minister Košarac informed Ambassador Sattler about the need for additional engagement in the foreign trade of red meat, given the realized surpluses in production and reduced domestic consumption in BiH due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He asked for support from Ambassador Sattler in considering the possibility of BiH gaining the status of an exporting country of fresh beef and veal to EU member states. In this context, Ambassador Sattler expressed a commitment to consider support in accordance with the defined procedures and practices of the countries of the region.

Tourism assistance and recovery were discussed at the meeting, as this sector was hardest affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The interlocutors exchanged opinions on the projects that the EU is implementing in order to support the domestic tourism sector, and stated that this economic branch is extremely important for local development, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. Ambassador Sattler stressed the importance of developing a nationwide Tourism Strategy, which would allow the use of EU funds for this sector.

The bilateral meeting between Minister Košarac and Ambassador Sattler at the headquarters of the EU Delegation to BiH followed the meeting and signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation on the Sarajevo-Pale Bicycle Trail Project, attended by the Mayor of Sarajevo Abdulah Skaka, and the mayors of Pale and Istočni Stari Grad Boško Jugović and Bojo Gašanović, and a representative of the Sarajevo municipality Stari Grad.