Bosnia and herzegovina Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in bosnia and herzegovina, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Trade Agreements
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CEFTA

In December 2006, BiH signed the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), which became operational in November 2007.  The regional trade group consists of Albania, BiH, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, and Serbia.  CEFTA aims to harmonize its Parties’ regulatory framework with the EU and international standards.  It also covers issues such as the protection of intellectual property rights, competition rules, and state aid.  For more information on CEFTA visit https://cefta.int/trade-info-center/

EU SAA

In June 2008, BiH signed the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, an important step toward EU membership.  The SAA officially entered into force on June 1, 2015.  The most important part of the SAA is the establishment of a free trade zone between BiH and the EU, allowing for the mutual abolishment of custom tariffs and quantity limitations in mutual exchange of goods.  An adapted SAA, which recognized Croatia’s EU membership, went into effect on February 1, 2017.

Trade in Agriculture and Food Products

With Croatia’s accession to the EU on July 1, 2013, Croatia lost its privileged CEFTA access, and the following key products began to be subject to duties ranging from 5 to 35 percent: dairy, meat products, fruits, vegetables, and sugar.  The adapted SAA, which recognized Croatia’s EU membership and went into effect on February 1, 2017, provides for unlimited, duty-free access for BiH fruits and vegetables and allows higher quotas for fish and wine from BiH into the EU market.  In return, BiH established higher duty-free quotas for sugar, cigarettes, beef, pork, milk, poultry products, and potatoes imported from the EU.

U.S. GSP

BiH was designated as a beneficiary country under the United States Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program through December 31, 2020.  Between 2013 and 2020, BiH exported to the U.S. over $50 million worth of goods eligible for the GSP program.  GSP expired on December 31, 2020.  As a result, imports entering the United States from 122 eligible countries including BiH that were previously eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP are now subject to regular, Normal Trade Relations (MFN) rates of duty.  We expect BiH to retain GSP status in the future if/when the GSP program is reauthorized.

For information on FTA partner countries, including how to take advantage of an FTA, please link to the FTA Help Center.

 

 


 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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