EU supports local textile companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The message that marked the Banja Luka fashion show called MadeInBiH was co-ordinated by the European Union in Bosnia and Herzegovina in collaboration with the European Fashion Passport festival on 22 September 2022.

The event brought together BiH companies from the fashion and textile industry from Maglaj, Lakta i, Sarajevo, Zenica, Kostajnica, and other local communities who have developed or launched their own businesses with the support of the European Union.

The EU has grants for 29 local companies in the sector of textile, clothing, leather and footwear production through the EU 4 BusinessRecovery project. Bosnia and Herzegovina has enormous potential and entrepreneurs have shown they can succeed with the right support. By supporting businesses in this country, the EU is not acting as a donor, but rather as an investor in Bosnia and Herzegovina's future on its way to the EU. Since the beginning of the epidemic, we have allocated around 70 million euros for various programmes to provide entrepreneurs and businesses in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the financial and practical support they need. Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the EU DelegationEU Delegation to BiH and EU Special Representative in BiH are the people that we are connected to.

The fashion show showcased garments by 30 fashion designers from the European Union, Ukraine and Western Balkans, who are participants in the European Fashion Passport festival.

The BiH fashion scene is modest and any activity revitalises it, but today we had an opportunity to see an outstanding show MadeInBiH by our textile companies. I congratulate the EU in BiH for their support and initiative to work together with the textile industry. European Fashion Passport designers presented themselves tonight in a collective fashion show. I am glad to see the audience and designers, as well as models enjoy themselves. Adnan Hajrulahovi HAAD, a BiH designer and art director of the European Fashion Passport festival, said that we don't live for fashion, we live fashion.

The fashion show also gathered a number of renowned representatives of the business, academic and international community, as well as representatives of the civil society, arts, culture and sports from Banja Luka and the vicinity.

The EU project EU 4 BusinessRecovery, which is implemented by the International Labour Organisation in BiH, aims to minimize the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic on agricultural and tourism enterprises, micro, small and medium enterprises, and in the textile, clothing and footwear sector, as well as entrepreneurs and farmers. The European Union intends to support at least 150 companies in order to improve their business operations with the help of this project, securing more than 1000 jobs.