A seminar on the product safety infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized by the European Union in cooperation with the RS Ministry of Economic Relations and Regional Cooperation, was held today in Banja Luka. The seminar was part of a project funded by the EU under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) 2007 in the amount of 1.7 million Euro. The overall objective of the project is to further improve the quality of the product safety infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to support the process of technical harmonization with the EU.

“Transposition and implementation of EU directives for industrial products, establishing a Conformity Assessment System and establishing an efficient Market Surveillance System are the three key components of a system that guarantees the safety of products in the market. The project encompasses all three components and supports the realisation of a higher level of harmonization with the EU system,“ said Mr Giulio Zanni, Head of the EU Delegation Office in Banja Luka.

Mr Zanni pointed out that the systematic implementation of these components in Bosnia and Herzegovina is regulated by the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

“Technical harmonization with the EU will result in the removal of technical barriers to trade between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU,” he stated. “It will have the same effect in neighbouring countries, which are the main BiH trading partners and which have also launched the harmonization process.“ Zanni added that once the legal framework and procedures are harmonized, it would become possible to sign an Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAA) between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the EU. Based on the Agreement, the results of conformity assessment in the contracted sectors will be mutually recognised and this would facilitate export of BiH products to the EU. An Action Plan for signature of the ACAA will be drawn up within the framework of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011.

“Adoption of technical legislation for the establishing of a system for assessment of conformity of domestic products with the EU regulations will have removed the technical barriers to export and strengthen the competitiveness of BiH products,“ said Mrs Natasa Zugic, Head of Department for European Integration with the Republika Srpska Ministry of Economic Relations and Regional Cooperation.

Mrs Zugic emphasised that it is important to have the RS Ministries in charge of preparation and implementation of technical legislation fully in the loop with all aspects of entering the EU and the regional markets.