MINISTER SAROVIC MET WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF WORLD BANK GROUP - IFC



October 12^th, 2012 - A meeting was held today on the premises of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relation of BiH between Minister Sarovic and representatives of the World Bank Group – IFC. The Delegation of the World Bank consisted of Pierre Guislain, Director of the Investment Climate Department, World Bank, Ivan Nimac, Regional Manager for the Western Balkans and Head of the IFC Office in Vienna, and Lada Busevac, Head of the IFC for Bosnia and Herzegovina, and their associates.

The topic of the meeting was a continuation of the cooperation between the IFC and the Ministry, as well as investment opportunities in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the light of Croatia's accession to the EU.

Minister Sarovic used this opportunity to thank the representatives of the World Bank – IFC for the ongoing cooperation and expressed his satisfaction with the fact that this cooperation would further continue through projects to improve the business environment and trade logistics, expected to commence soon within the Ministry.

Director Guislain expressed satisfaction with the continued co-operation, especially when it comes to strengthening the technical expertise – one of the prerequisites for ensuring a better business environment. The IFC representatives expressed their interest when it comes to foreign investment in Bosnia and Herzegovina, opportunities and prospects, including the political aspect of the whole process both in BiH and the region. In this context, the representatives of the IFC noted that the entry of Croatia into the EU, while a possible difficulty on the one hand, might also be an opportunity not to be missed.

Director Guislain and Minister Sarovic, in order to continue the cooperation between the IFC and the Ministry, agreed that the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations should in the shortest period possible set priorities and projects that the IFC would take into account for next year.