SARAJEVO – Sarajevo will host the 2019 European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Annual Meeting and Business Forum on 8 and 9 May.
Ahead of the meeting EBRD Secretary General Enzo Quattrociocche signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina about the delivery of the event on Tuesday in Sarajevo.
More than 2,000 participants are expected to attend the conference which will allow Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina to present themselves to the world as an attractive investment destination which is open for business.
About 120 local jobs will be created during the preparation and delivery of the event.
At the conference the EBRD will present its offer to promote the development of successful and sustainable businesses in the 38 economies where it currently invests.
The Bank’s shareholders are expected to confirm the institutions ambitious goal to deliver even more in terms of investment as well as in policy engagement in its existing countries of operations, exceeding for the first time in its history the €10 billion mark in new investments in 2019.
The ambition to deliver more builds on the Bank’s successful operations which are focused on private sector development and the transformation towards green economies.
In the Western Balkans alone the EBRD registered record results in 2018 with more than €1.1 billion of new commitments. In Bosnia and Herzegovina the Bank invested €200 million last year and anticipates a substantially higher level of up to €300 million in 2019.
In its strategy for Bosnia and Herzegovina the EBRD has identified supporting the private sector, improving the business environment and delivering the „Connectivity Agenda“ as priorities. The agenda includes infrastructure investment as much as political reform in line with the country’s EU approximation efforts.
EBRD Secretary General Enzo Quattrociocche said: “We look forward to our Annual Meeting in Sarajevo in May. It is a unique opportunity to shape the international perception of the city and the country as a place to do business. It is our goal to contribute to an economy which grows, creates jobs and benefits everyone.“
The programme of the 28th Annual Meeting includes the official meeting of the Bank’s 69 shareholders who will be represented at senior level.
All leaders of the six Western Balkan countries are also expected in Sarajevo.
Various panels will discuss topical issues such as migration or ways to improve the investment climate, while dedicated economic sessions will investigate the investment prospects in selected countries.
EBRD Chief Economist Sergei Guriev will present the latest macroeconomic forecast for the Bank’s regions, while EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti will inform the media about the decisions of the Bank’s Governors in a press conference.