Vision of a better life
- © by:DEP
Bosnia and Herzegovina is eager to adopt European structures,
Over the past years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has committed itself to establishing a lasting partnership with the EU. A crucial step towards adjusting its legislation to EU standards was the recently developed Country Development Strategy and Social Development Strategy (CDS/SIS), which reflect the vision for the country's economic development and growth until 2014. These strategies should enable Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure a more competitive and self-sustaining economy, which the country's leadership agreed to focus on when signing the Stability Association Agreement in 2008.
2010, the year these strategies were first implemented, was termed the "Year of Socio-Economic Development" in the First Development Report that was published then. The Austrian Development Cooperation assisted during the process of drafting the Development Report, with the development strategies as an important framework.
Assisting the partner
- © by: DEP
ADC is a long-standing cooperation partner.
The implementation of the Country Development Strategy and Social Development Strategy is a challenging task: Austria supported its partner country Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Project "Communication Strategy With Private Sector, Civil Society & Media". This project facilitated transparency during the strategy's development process and ensured that civil society and the media were involved in the procedure. The development strategies were formulated thanks to the active contribution of 600 people who participated in workshops, consultation roundtables and meetings. The Austrian Development Cooperation also assisted in producing the 2010 Development Report. The strategic planning process was led by domestic institutions and supported by international experts and funds that enabled the participation of government, academia, social partners, non-governmental actors and the media.
Reaching the goals
- © by: DEP
Paving the way towards a sustainable and prosperous future.
The formulated development priorities for Bosnia and Herzegovina until 2014 are strengthened competitiveness, employment creation, sustainability and social inclusion. By adopting the Country Development Strategy and Social Development Strategy and government-supported action plans, substantial efforts are now channelled towards reaching these goals. The ultimate end is to provide higher living-standards to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In other words, this means creating more jobs with average net salaries exceeding 400 EUR than there presently are, and more than 23.7% employed working-age women. The country's higher education rate among the population fit for work (aged 25 - 65), which currently stands at over 5%, may gradually converge with the EU average of 24%, if fostered by economic development and increased prosperity.
Further Information
