FIC requested a statement from the FBiH Government due to omissions in the implementation of the Public Call for financial assistance to export companies

At the end of December, the Foreign Investors Council in BiH requested a statement from the FBiH Government and the Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry regarding the omissions made in the implementation of the Public Call for financial assistance to export companies from the industrial sector. By disputed Public Call, some FIC members, which are in foreign ownership, were rejected in the request to participate in the distribution of funds to help the economy, since their directors are foreign citizens and do not have a BiH ID card. This attitude of the authorities put these companies into an unequal and discriminatory position. At a time when the Public Call was in progress, FIC addressed Federal Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry on shortcomings related to the prescribed criteria of the Public Call, in which in item 7 under ordinal number 13 the applicant, among other necessary documentation, was required to submit local ID card and certificate of residence (CIPS) for their CEOs. In addition to the warning that such a formulation of the Public Call criteria could produce direct discrimination for companies whose authorized representatives are foreigners (who do not have a BiH ID card and CIPS certificate), the Commission for Preparation and Implementation of the Public Call decided to declare the applications formally invalid for these companies, which instead of the local ID card and CIPS certificate, submitted certified copies of passports and temporary residence permissions of their CEOs. In its request, FIC reminded relevant institutions of the current legislation which regulate the entry, stay and work of foreigners in the territory of BiH. During the implementation of the Public Call, the provisions of the Law on Foreign Direct Investment Policy in BiH were not considered, which guarantee foreign investors National treatment that allows foreign investors to have the same rights and obligations as residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The management of the Foreign Investors Council has expressed its concern over the impossibility of equal participation of all companies in the Public Call and will, in accordance with its capabilities, continue to seek answers from the authorities due to this omission.