By attending a two-day training in Neum on the topic “Preparation of Specific Documents for the Use of EU Pre-Accession Assistance,” representatives of the Municipality of Brod continued strengthening their capacities for the European integration process. This training marked the conclusion of a mini training cycle during which more than 20 representatives of local communities and members of the EU network from various municipalities and cities had the opportunity to acquire basic knowledge about the instruments and principles of using EU pre-accession assistance (IPA III).
Following earlier sessions held in Konjic and Bijeljina—where participants focused on strategic planning and project cycle management—the final training in Neum was dedicated to concrete elements of EU pre-accession programming. In cooperation with lecturers from the Directorate for European Integration, the representatives of Brod worked on practical examples of drafting key documents such as the strategic response, action document, and action fiche.
High levies and strict inspection controls are among the biggest challenges faced by self-employed entrepreneurs in Brod, according to the conclusion of today’s public discussion on the topic “Improving the Work and Status of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs in the Municipality of Brod.”
The public discussion was organized in the meeting hall of the Municipality of Brod by the Regional Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship (PZPK) Doboj, which gathers entrepreneurs from seven municipalities and two cities in the Doboj region.
According to Zoran Gajić, President of the Board of PZPK Doboj, the region has about 2,400 self-employed entrepreneurs.
“Today’s event is focused on the work of entrepreneurs and improving their conditions. It’s about initiating discussions on how to reduce levies, taxes, and other burdens that jeopardize the work of entrepreneurs,” said Gajić, adding:
“If we succeed in getting the Republic of Srpska and relevant law-making bodies to consider our proposals and somewhat accommodate them, we could survive here and improve the work of entrepreneurs.”
He emphasized that improving the work of entrepreneurs also impacts the status of workers, leading to higher wages and consequently reducing the outflow of the workforce from the area.
“If we improve the conditions for entrepreneurs, we will improve the status of workers by enabling better salaries. There are ways and opportunities to unite all this and fight together for our people to remain in this area, and for small entrepreneurs to survive against large corporations,” Gajić stressed.
Public discussions on this topic have already been held in Petrovo and Derventa, and the plan is to organize them in other municipalities of the Doboj region by June 10.
“At the end, we will prepare a report that we will submit to the Government of the Republic of Srpska and to legislative bodies so they can review the relevant laws, taxes, and levies—explore what can be reduced, what can be abolished, and whether certain provisions or requirements can be extended, for example from two to five years,” said the PZPK Doboj Board President, adding:
“In this way, we will enable entrepreneurs to work better, to survive here, retain their jobs, and also hire new workers, ultimately helping to stop the outflow of our workforce abroad.”
According to him, entrepreneurs mostly complain about high taxes and levies, such as taxation on meal allowances, personal income tax, and the like.
“They complain about the work of inspection authorities and the high fines. Every country and system needs a tax administration and inspection services, but it’s easy to fine someone—what we should do is help them,” he said, adding that efforts should be made to support businesspeople striving to survive through their work.
Gajić added that one of the tasks of the Regional Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship is to advocate for mitigating penalties in order to retain jobs and prevent further workforce drain.
He thanked the Mayor of Brod and the municipal administration for their hospitality and expressed appreciation for their interest in cooperation.
Draženka Duronja, Head of the Department of Economy and Social Affairs, expressed gratitude to all entrepreneurs from Brod who responded to the invitation and shared their problems as well as ideas for overcoming them.
“Active participation by entrepreneurs and craftsmen, idea exchange, and willingness to cooperate all contribute to strengthening our shared goal—to improve working conditions and support the development of crafts and small businesses,” she said, adding:
“The presence of all interested entrepreneurs confirms the importance of unity, dialogue, and mutual support in building a strong and sustainable entrepreneurial community.”
At today’s meeting, a cooperation team was appointed to work with the Regional Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship, consisting of Biljana Kojić, Radmila Čečavac, Savo Kojić, and Siniša Kojić.
The Regional Chamber of Crafts and Entrepreneurship Doboj is organizing a Public Discussion on the topic “Improving Working Conditions and the Status of Independent Entrepreneurs in the Municipality of Brod” on Thursday, May 22, 2025, starting at 6:00 PM, in the meeting room of the Brod Municipality (Svetog Save Street 17).
According to the invitation from the RCCE Doboj, the aim of this Public Discussion is to exchange views, address problems related to operations and functioning, and propose demands for improving working conditions as well as amendments to legal regulations in the coming period in order to enhance and increase the efficiency of independent entrepreneurs.
The full text of the invitation can be found at this link.
Around thirty farmers from the Brod municipality visited the 92nd International Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad, organized by the Municipality of Brod. Free transportation and tickets were provided for all participants, which represents the Municipality’s long-standing practice of supporting local producers.
Siniša Jaćimović, independent expert associate for agriculture in the municipal administration, emphasized that such a visit was an important opportunity for farmers from Brod to gain insight into the latest technological achievements in crop production, fruit growing and other areas of agriculture.
“It was especially interesting to learn about modern solutions such as navigation systems and drones, which are increasingly being used in agricultural production,” said Jaćimović.
He emphasized that farmers from Brod actively follow new trends and strive to apply them in their work in order to achieve better yields and higher incomes. The fair also served as a place to exchange experiences and make new contacts with manufacturers and equipment suppliers from the region.
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