On February 8, 2024, the Acting Director of the Foreign Investment Agency Promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FIPA) Marko Kubatlija received the Ambassador of Italy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Marco Di Ruzza, and representatives of the SIMEST company, Carlo De Simone and Jelena Čukanović.
The main purpose of the visit was to present
the activities of SIMEST, a company of the Cassa Depositi e Prestiti group
which, since 1991, supports the growth of Italian companies abroad and the
strategy of internationalization of the Italian system. The SIMEST delegation
is currently visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina for meetings with state
authorities and institutions in the economic, financial and commercial sectors.
Mr Kubatlija introduced the guests with the
services that the Agency offers to foreign investors from the beginning to the
end of the investment, including the relevant legislation and system of taxes,
highlighting the fact that FIPA has 500 investment projects in its database
that can be offered to investors in every field.
The meeting discussed, among other things, the
upcoming event Business Forum BiH-Italy, which is scheduled for April 2024, and
which will bring together B&H’s and Italian companies that are already
present in our country, as well as companies from Italy eager information about
investment opportunities and commercial partnerships in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During this event, FIPA intends to use the opportunity to offer a presentation
of its activities in the sectors in which the work will be concentrated.
The Ambassador Di Ruzza emphasized that
economic cooperation between BiH and Italy is growing year by year and that
statistical data increasingly confirm the intensity and dynamics of economic
and trade relations between the two countries. Italy has actually become the
first exporter in BiH and the second commercial partner of our country. He also
stated that the B&H’s market has a large network of Italian companies,
especially in the following sectors: financial, metallurgical, chemical,
energy, textile and footwear, wood processing, etc. through direct investments
or establishment of joint ventures with local partners. All this is stated in
order to understand the competitive advantages offered by the various mix of
factors that make BiH an attractive destination for Italian companies.
It was pointed out that FIPA is interested in
participating in major economic events in Italy in 2024, where potential
investors can meet and offer to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
SIMEST will evaluate possible projects with
FIPA and other competent institutions of BiH with the aim to further increase
the economic partnership between the two countries.