Heinrich Maurer, Swiss Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), stressed that Switzerland is a long standing promoter of cultural activities in the region. The Swiss Cultural Programme, predecessor of BAC, has supported more than 3’000 different cultural projects, from 1999 and 2012. Heinrich Maurer: “The primary target group of beneficiaries of the Balkan Arts and Culture Fund will be independent cultural actors since art is the daughter of freedom as Friedrich Schiller once said.”

Jean Daniel Ruch, Swiss Ambassador to Serbia, added that culture is witness to the dynamics and power of attraction of any society. “Through this programme, Switzerland wants to foster creation and innovation in this whole region", he said.

Joseph Guntern, Director of Cooperation in the Swiss Embassy in BiH, said: “As  a partner of BAC, we stream to create a flourishing cultural scene in the region; independent artistic expression and cultural work are driving forces of societies in building up democracy, security and prosperity for the people in a strictly future oriented way.”

The support to the creation of new innovative generations will be provided throughout the implementation of a number of contemporary artistic and cultural projects. The first seven regional collaboration projects (COLABs) were promoted today.

BAC relies on the results, successes and lessons learnt from the former Swiss Cultural Programme and the Balkan Incentive Fund for Culture. It will connect cultural actors from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

For more information on BAC, please visit: www.balkansartsandculture.fund

While addressing the participants, the Ambassador stressed the opportunities of the new Free Trade Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) to promote trade relations with EFTA member states which all have well performing economies and  consumer markets with a high purchasing power. “The Free Trade Agreement is an important milestone for the benefit of the economies of our countries. It creates new trade and investment opportunities on both sides”, Maurer said. 

Maurer referred to the Swiss Import Promotion Program (SIPPO) that is implemented in BiH, preparing companies to meet EU market needs and to win the new markets. The conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement constitutes also a significant additional incentive for investments, according to Maurer, who made a reference to the Swiss Start-up Fund program through which Swiss investors get supportive loans in transition countries like BiH.

Maurer assessed the time of the entering into force of the Free Trade Agreement as timely due to the new momentum in BiHs integration process into the EU. “Switzerland strongly supports BiH’s efforts towards European integration and therefore hopes that the new EU initiative and the implementation of the “Compact for Growth and Jobs” as one of its centerpieces becomes successful. The focus on economic and social measures will hopefully lead soon to concrete results so that the words of the responsible leaders in BiH will follow deeds, Maurer said.

The seminar to promote free trade was organized by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, EFTA Secretariat and the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the premises of Foreign Trade Chamber in Sarajevo. Another EFTA seminar  will be held in Banja Luka on 19 February.