First meeting between Joint Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Czech Republic

The Joint Commission between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Czech Republic, established in accordance with Article 4 of the Agreement on Economic Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, held its first meeting on May 16, 2012 in Prague.
The delegation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was headed by Mrs. Ermina Salkicevic-Dizdarevic, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, while the delegation of the Czech Republic was led by Mr.Milan Hovorka, the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade.

The meeting of the Joint Commission was held in cordial and friendly atmosphere. The two sides discussed the overall cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Czech Republic, and noted that the common goal of both countries is developing stronger economic links and improving investment and trade. Also, the importance of the private sector in developing economies was emphasized, and in this sense, the importance of ensuring the necessary legal framework.

Various issues of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting, such as: trade, investment, business cooperation, development cooperation, etc. It was noted that in the development of bilateral trade and economic relations common engagement in the form of exchange of information, knowledge and experience plays an important role, as well as encouraging business entities to participate in international fairs and exhibitions in both countries, and strengthening of the cooperation between the chambers of commerce and foreign investment promotion agencies, and other relevant institutions in the two countries.

As part of the work of the expert groups, the Joint Commission specifically considered the possibilities of improving cooperation between the two countries in areas like trade, industry, SMEs, agriculture, transport infrastructure, energy and environmental protection.

The two delegations expressed a common wish to strengthen and further develop the bilateral economic cooperation based on mutual benefit. Both parties underlined the importance of improving the cooperation on the basis of bilateral agreements, and it was agreed that it is important to take the necessary actions for the completion of negotiations on already initiated agreements.

At the end of the meeting, both parties signed the Protocol.