A workshop on the implementation of SBA in BiH and SME development strategies, with a focus on monitoring, evaluation and reporting, was held in Teslic on July 13 and 14. The workshop was organized for the purpose of better preparation for monitoring, evaluation and reporting, both the implementation of SBA, as well as strategies and action plans for the development of SMEs for the next period, based on the experiences from the last cycle of reporting according to the SME Policy Index, as well as the normative framework for strategic planning , which was adopted in both entities and Brčko District of BiH. The complete teams of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, the Federal Ministry of Development, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, the Ministry of Economy and Entrepreneurship of the RS, as well as a representative of the Brčko District of BiH participated. In the second part of the work, the ways and tools of assistance of the “SBA in BiH2EU”, “EU4DigitalSME” and “EU4BusinessRecovery” projects were discussed, especially in terms of support for innovation and greening of SMEs.
It was concluded that the workshop represents an excellent example of mutual coordination of institutions that are in charge of creating support policies for SMEs, as well as coordination with international projects implemented by GIZ and Eda. It was agreed that the participation of other projects that support the development of SMEs and the introduction of the green economy, primarily those implemented by UNDP, should be ensured for the next workshop. In this way, it is easier to overcome the barriers that can be caused by the sometimes insufficiently clear allocation of responsibilities between the levels of government in the country, and the prospects for achieving synergistic effects of international support for the development of SMEs are improved.
