Pivić at the International Economy Fair: ZDK is one of BiH's economic flagships

(Patria) - The Prime Minister of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDK) Nezir Pivić attended the ceremonial opening of the 19th International Economy Fair Tešanj - BiH 202 today, held at the "Kamelia" site in Matuzići in the Municipality of Doboj Jug, along with representatives of authorities at all levels, the diplomatic corps, businessmen, and guests from BiH and abroad.

The organizer of the fair is the Business Center Jelah - Tešanj Association, and the fair brought together more than 600 exhibitors from BiH, the region, and EU countries on over 25,000 square meters of indoor and outdoor exhibition space. The partner country of the fair is Spain, and the partner city is Travnik.



Pivić emphasized that "we must strengthen economic cooperation with foreign countries, open ourselves to foreign investors, and seek access to foreign markets, but also connect more strongly locally, because we need to learn from each other".

- Much can be learned from Tešanj - how to start and successfully run a business, how to master foreign markets, how to become a regional leader, how to attract investors, build zones, employ people, how to build unity.

The International Economy Fair is a reflection of the environment in which the Tešanj region is increasingly successful and economically stronger - said Pivić.

He added that giants in all sectors have emerged in this canton, operating excellently and oriented towards export markets, with a significant number of them from Tešanj.



- These companies contribute to our leading position in the real sector, which is also confirmed by economic indicators. During the first five months of 2025, industrial production grew by 5.7 percent, exports increased by 19.8 percent, with a simultaneous decrease in imports by 0.4 percent, while the coverage of imports by exports was 106.9 percent.

A surplus of 63.54 million KM was achieved in foreign trade. We are also recording positive trends during the summer. With this, we show that we are one of the economic flagships of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we owe this epithet in a significant part to companies from Tešanj - said Pivić.

The ZDK government, he added, is demonstrating with concrete examples that it is open to investments and wants to be a service to domestic and foreign investors. The best example is the largest post-war investment in BiH - the Rupice mine in Vareš.

- Such investments drive the entire economy of the country, transcending entity and any other borders. We are also significantly helping to strengthen entrepreneurial infrastructure in cities and municipalities through the construction and arrangement of business zones. These are places where investors will find all the necessary infrastructure and where they can very quickly start and organize their business.



- We also offer strong incentives to enhance competitiveness, start businesses, build production facilities, and a range of other subsidies - stated the ZDK Prime Minister.

He points out that one of the most important comparative advantages of this canton is good connectivity by rail and road, which is important for all businessmen, especially export-oriented companies.

- With the completion of the highway construction from Zenica to Tešanj, which is planned for next year, our canton will be connected by highway from south to north. This is over 130 kilometers of highway through the heart of ZDK, and it will be a traffic lifeline that will certainly accelerate the movement of goods and services within the canton, as well as towards export markets, especially the EU - Pivić stated.

He emphasizes that the government he leads is also dedicated to strengthening regional economic cooperation and seeking partners around the world, which, as he said, are very important and potentially beneficial connections for countries, peoples, and economies.



- I am convinced that our friendly Kingdom of Spain will give a special touch to this year's International Economy Fair in Tešanj, and that thanks to this connection, we will strengthen our mutual relations and economic cooperation.

I wish you truly succeed in this mission. I welcome everyone to the fair, I congratulate the organizers, and I wish the exhibitors much success and a productive and beneficial fair - said the ZDK Prime Minister.

Ministers in the ZDK Government also attended the ceremony - Samir Šibonjić, Minister of Economy, Adnan Šabani, Minister of Spatial Planning, Transport and Communications and Environmental Protection, and Jasmin Čajić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.