Development of social entrepreneurship in BiH
An expert meeting dedicated to improving the national framework for supporting social entrepreneurship was held today at the Bosniak Institute in Sarajevo. The event, part of the cross-border project "Together for Cultural Tourism" funded by the European Union, gathered representatives from institutions, social enterprises, donors, and organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia with the aim of exchanging knowledge, experiences, and defining the next steps for the development of this significant sector.
During the meeting, participants focused on an overview of the social entrepreneurship sector in BiH and the region, an analysis of the draft Law on Social Entrepreneurship in the Federation of BiH, and the exchange of experiences and best practices from Serbia in the adoption of the Social Entrepreneurship Development Program.
For the first time in the Federation of BiH, a draft law on social entrepreneurship has been created, with the aim of defining a social enterprise as one that primarily generates social benefits, and then profit – explained Izedin Kurtović, Assistant Minister for Crafts in the Federal Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development and Crafts.
The law, as Kurtović stated, will provide a clear legislative framework for the registration, status, and operation of social enterprises, with profits being distributed so that owners can retain a maximum of 49%, while the majority ownership remains in private hands. - Public discussions and the inclusion of the interested public are planned to ensure the law is finalized and aligned with best practices, including those from neighboring countries – concluded Kurtović.
Violeta Jovanović, President of the Ethno Network and Executive Director of NALED, presented activities aimed at strengthening the legislative framework for social entrepreneurship in Serbia, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation.
We are pleased that NALED contributed to the adoption of a good and modern regulation in this area. This regulation sets the framework for all enterprises that already exist and operate in this sector, and what is most important is that support measures are designed for them – said Jovanović.
Lejla Radončić, Executive Director of BHCrafts, emphasized that the sphere of social entrepreneurship in BiH is currently completely unregulated, with no clearly defined term, while the law is in the draft stage and the amendment procedure is yet to take place.
Today, at the roundtable, we learned that the ministry is very open to discussions with people from the sector. Also, there are many companies that already operate as social enterprises, although they are not aware of it, so through the law, advocacy, and public engagement, it is necessary to explain to people what social entrepreneurship is so that they can be recognized and enter the system – concluded Radončić.
The participants of the event agreed that regional cooperation is crucial for the exchange of best practices and the creation of effective policies that will enable social enterprises to become an important factor in sustainable development.
The "Together for Cultural Tourism" project is funded through the IPA Cross-border Cooperation Program Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina 2014-2020. The contracting body for the project is the Ministry of Finance of Serbia, the Sector for Contracting and Financing of Projects.
