Bosanska Krupa municipality has made some considerable investments in the development of the economy recently. What are your most important activities on this issue?

- Creating a good business environment is our constant task, with these activities being sometimes less, and sometimes more prominent, but they are being recognized through more valuable projects. The development of business zones is something that we are focused on, something we are known for. Very few people in our region, even in our country, have not heard about the Pilana Business Zone, its specific method of establishment and development. The municipality is trying to provide good service to both its citizens and investors. The services we provide to entrepreneurs are reflected in efficiency, flexibility and urgency. Of course, as much as our procedures and laws allow it. Whatever is under the jurisdiction of the Municipality is completed in record time, and with the tax reliefs and benefits that we have, we've created a recipe for improving the economy.

Occupations in demand

- When I say tax reliefs and benefits, I mean, of course, the reduced fees and taxes paid by investors. For example, the fee for landscaping is reduced by 40 percent with the possibility of payment from 6 to 12 installments. Rent is reduced from 10 to 90 percent depending on the number of employees, including the possibility of paying in installments. Companies in the first three years of business are exempt from communal fees, and they pay 50 percent for the additional three years.

You organized a number of trainings for occupations in demand, what was the response of citizens to these calls and what were the results achieved?

- Training for one of the occupations in demand, welders, started a few days ago. I signed a contract with 44 applicants that we chose in the first round. At the same time, the call for another group of participants is also ongoing. We want to find 80 unemployed people who want to re-qualify or further qualify. Training designed according to the needs of employers in the metalworking industry, which will be implemented in the BINOVA Entrepreneurship Support Center in the next six months, is part of the project Enhancing the Competitiveness of Workforce in the Municipality of Bosanska Krupa, which is funded by the EU's Local Partnership for Employment program, and implemented by the International Labor Organization (ILO). Project activities are planned in response to the lack of harmonization of the educational system with the needs of the private sector, specifically the metal sector in Bosanska Krupa. The training consists of a theoretical and practical part. Theoretically, it represents a sum of three years of training for welders, and the practical consists of about 600 hours of training where trainees will be trained on a set of new equipment. It will work on equipment worth over 100 thousand BAM. The first group should end in the beginning and the other group at the end of January.

What is the occupancy of business zones and from which are the areas of the company operating in them?

- I'm proud of everything that's been done so far. However, the Pilana Business Zone is a kind of stamp of my work so far. Pilana is what we are recognizable in recent years. Today it holds 15 business entities from the area of our municipality, cantons, BiH and abroad that invested around 30 million KM in the construction of new business capacities in several years, which in any case gives us the right to expect a large number of new jobs. The activities of the companies are mainly production of cabs for working machines, galvanization, fine metalworking, production of bodywork for motor vehicles and production of trailers and semi-trailers. In order to create conditions for investors, the Municipality had to do a lot. All plots and facilities are supplied with the appropriate electricity connection, telephone lines, sewage and water supply networks, roads, approach roads, exit to the main road, and public lighting within the Business zone has been built.

How much is foreign investment, where do they come from and in what areas?

- Among the largest companies employing the largest number of workers, most foreign investments are from Italy, but also from Slovenia. All of them are in the metal industry and their products are completely exported to foreign markets. Due to these companies, the Bosanska Krupa Municipality has constantly increased the number of employees in the last three or four years, although the number of unemployed still rose, but significantly less. Due to the momentum in the manufacturing industry, which is mainly based on the metal sector and the increase in the degree of finalization of products in the installed capacities, Bosanska Krupa has become one of the largest exporters in this part of BiH.