Delegation of European Union in BIH presented 11 new projects today for support of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and development of tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Projects are financed by the EU through Instrument of pre-accession assistance (IPA) in the amount of 3,8 million Euros thus helping the economic growth as well as harmonization of standards in countries that are programme users with European standard.

„Today we are really happy since after complicated and long administrative procedure and analysis of over fifty received projects that arrived through announced public add we managed to choose eleven of the best that we are presenting to the public today”, stated Chief of Department of operations for economic reforms, trade and natural resources Johann Hesse to journalists and participants.

These projects are directed towards strengthening of MSMEs role and tourism and promotion of their potential, creation of new and better jobs, growth and development of competitiveness, increase of production as well as better social cohesion.

Centre for support development Tuzla is one of eleven organizations that received the EU grant within “IPA 2008” program. “Our project is named Development of farming cooperatives. The goal of the project is to increase the number of employed people in area of agriculture in our country. Specific goal of the project is to increase volume of production in the area of fruit and vegetables through seven target cooperatives, says Darko Ivanic, project manager of Centre for support development Tuzla.

Selected projects will also focus on creation and strengthening of tourism products in protected eco zones, actions of networking among entrepreneurs, associations and local authorities in tourism sector. One of important goals is integration of culture, historical and natural heritage into tourism products.

Samir Softic representative of Tourism community of Zenica Doboj Canton presented a project for which this community received 350,000 Euros from the EU: “Basic goal of our project is to promote nature park of Tajan, located in municipality of Zavidovici, as a tourism product. We hope to successfully promote this park and at the same time the municipality as well”.   The EU through this programme is supporting the projects of Association of entrepreneurs and employers Zepce, Municipality Bihac, Mozaik Foundation, HELP– Hilfe zur Selbstilfe e.V., Regional economic development agency of Herzegovina (REDAH), Regional economic development agency Sarajevo (SERDA), Municipality of Sipovo and Economic development agency (ZEDA).

It is expected that the selected projects will achieve significant results in development of small and medium entrepreneurship and tourism in BiH.