Constructive discussion at the first ever public-private dialogue organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In the White Hall of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, an event called "Public-Private Dialogue: AmCham Business 2 Government Talks" was held today, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in BiH and the US Embassy in BiH, on the topic of the importance of protecting state institutions and companies from targeted cyber attacks. the need for digitization of public administration and services in the service of the economy and citizens, healthcare reform and other current issues relevant to the business environment of BiH.
The general secretary of the AmCham BiH, Nedim Hamzić, addressed the audience first, who emphasized the need to strengthen the partnership between the Council of Ministers and representatives of the business community: "We were forced to direct the activities and projects of AmCham Bosnia and Herzegovina so far towards reactive action against negative trends in society and economy, and in the future we want to act preventively, strategically and jointly with the Council of Ministers. We want this to be the beginning of a partnership and a continuous joint effort of the business community that we are gathering and the new convocation of the Council of Ministers, in solving pressing problems."
The US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Michael J. Murphy, pointed out in his address: "Dialogue between the public and private sectors is crucial for accelerating the program of economic reforms and achieving economic growth." Bosnia and Herzegovina must make it easier for entrepreneurs to do business. A strong partnership with AmCham members, who are subject matter experts, can help your authorities achieve these goals.”
The chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Krišto, said: "The obtained candidate status in the EU is a positive impulse and the best incentive to create a positive environment in the new reality and take decisive steps that will contribute to development and growth, and which will be primarily based on innovations , digitization, decarbonization of a new geographic positioning of the value chain, as well as growing opportunities for foreign direct investments".
After the introductory speeches, a moderated discussion followed, in which, in addition to Ambassador Murphy and Chairperson Kristo, representatives of AmCham BiH also took part: the president of the Board of Directors, Amina Karić, the president of the ICT Committee, Damir Dizdarević and the representative of the Committee for Legal and Tax Affairs, Dženana Bašić . Through the dialogue, some key barriers on the way to the country's economic growth and the achievement of a stable business environment were identified, and they concern the lack of a state strategy in the case of targeted cyber attacks that threaten institutions and consequently the entire economy, insufficiently coordinated and widespread use of digital signatures in the economy, which is reflected in the generally low degree of digitization of public administration, and the need for faster and more efficient business operations through the acceleration of administrative processes and the administrative relief of domestic businessmen.
The participants jointly recognized the need for the continuation of a constructive dialogue between the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and representatives of the business community, and expressed their commitment to cooperation aimed at creating employment opportunities, retaining young people in the country, increasing wages and living standards throughout the country, and jointly solving obstacles that hinder economic development of BiH. AmCham BiH, which gathers the necessary expertise in the form of renowned experts from a number of different industries involved in the work of its committees, wants to position itself as a permanent partner to the Council of Ministers and other levels of government, through providing expert assistance in adopting the most effective legal solutions that will result in economic growth.
