BiH offers opportunities to well-prepared and persistent exporters and investors. The country is open to foreign investment, offers a liberal trade regime, and is richly endowed with natural resources. However, BiH struggles to attract foreign investors because of a number of serious obstacles including: multiple complex legal and regulatory frameworks and government structures; non-transparent business procedures; corruption; poor infrastructure; insufficient protection of property rights; and weak judicial structures. The ruling coalition of the Republika Srpska entity is further harming the investment climate with its moves to undermine state-level institutions and failure to recognize BiH Constitutional Court rulings. Many existing projects stem from the involvement and support of development banks, the World Bank, the European Union, and other international donors. Still-to-come privatization of government-owned enterprises would offer significant opportunities.
Country Commercial Guide
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Country Commercial Guide (CCG) (PDF 750 KB) provides a useful starting point for U.S. businesses pursuing export and investment opportunities in BiH. The CCG is prepared as a mission-wide document of the U.S. Embassy in BiH that is published annually. It reports BiH’s economic trends and outlook; political environment; trade regulations, customs & standards; business travel; and economic and trade statistics. It also provides information on marketing U.S. products and services in BiH; leading BiH industry sectors for U.S. export and investment; trade and project financing for U.S. exporters; and U.S. and BiH business contacts.
Investment Climate Statement
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Investment Climate Statement (PDF 248 KB) provides an overview of the foreign investment climate in BiH. The document is prepared annually and reports on numerous investment environment topics including openness to investment, legal and regulatory systems, dispute resolution, intellectual property rights, transparency, performance requirements, state-owned enterprises, responsible business conduct, and corruption.
The Business Information Database System (BIDS)
The Business Information Database System (BIDS) is a portal built to help U.S. businesses learn about significant international commercial opportunities. BIDS website features an interactive map that displays descriptions and locations of projects that represent potential contract or tender opportunities for U.S. businesses. The site also connects U.S. business to detailed information about each project as well as information to contact U.S. embassies overseas.
