Minister Košarac And Ambassador Uebber Talked about The Problem of Detached Workers from BiH in Germany

The Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Staša Košarac, received today in Sarajevo the Ambassador of Germany to BiH, Margret Uebber, with whom he discussed resolving the status of detached workers from BiH in Germany in the new circumstances caused by the corona virus epidemic.

 

Minister Košarac informed Ambassador Weber that about 2,000 workers from BiH are currently working on the realization of contracted jobs in Germany, and that they have a limited time of residence and work in that country. As he pointed out, a certain number of those workers, who found themselves in Germany at the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic, had their visas or work permits expired and were forced to return to BiH, and new workers should be sent to their posts who are disabled in it due to the new circumstances. In addition, the EU closed its borders and prevented citizens of non-EU countries from entering, preventing BiH workers from going to work in Germany. Minister Košarac stated that an additional problem is the fact that the visa department at the German Embassy in BiH, due to the appearance of the corona virus, suspended its work on March 17, canceled all appointments and prevented the issuance of visas.

 

Ambassador Uebber informed Minister Košarac that the detachments could be extended through the regular procedures. As she explained, companies that have assigned detachments should contact the competent local services for foreigners in Germany with requests for extension of work or residence permits for workers in this country, after which the mentioned services will address the competent work agency in Germany.

 

Ambassador Uebber expressed the readiness of the German Embassy in BiH to get involved in resolving this problem, and said that the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Republika Srpska and the Chamber of Economy of Federation of BiH as well as the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH can directly address the German Embassy in BiH in order to solve the problem of detached workers from BiH.

 

At today's meeting, they also discussed the current epidemiological situation in BiH in the conditions of the spread of the coronavirus. Minister Košarac said that foreign trade was functioning in the new circumstances, and that he was encouraged by the establishment of Green Priority Lanes at defined border crossings for trade in vital goods from the joint list, agreed by the CEFTA Secretariat.

 

He also informed the German ambassador about other measures that the Ministry, headed by him, took in order to mitigate the negative effects of the coronavirus on the national economy. The interlocutors agreed that the priority is to protect the health of citizens, and expressed full support for health workers in BiH in the current epidemiological situation.