Representatives of the Austrian Embassy and the Chamber of Commerce on a Working Visit to the Municipality of Brod
The Director of the Foreign Trade Department of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Trade Counsellor at the Embassy of Austria in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marta Suda (Martha Suda), visited the Municipality of Brod today, where she held discussions with the municipal leadership and learned in detail about the development potentials of this local community that may be of interest to Austrian investors.
The Mayor of Brod, Milan Zečević, emphasized that the purpose of the meeting was to present Brod’s comparative advantages and opportunities for cooperation with Austria’s business sector.
“The very logistical position of the Municipality of Brod, in my opinion, demonstrates the strongest foundations for cooperation that we can establish with Austria, and we hope that this alone will be enough to spark the interest of Austrian investors,” Zečević said after the meeting.
He added that the municipality is fully committed to creating a favourable business environment.
“We have prepared brochures, we have prepared land, we have completed 90 percent of the process of establishing a duty-free zone, and we hope that this process will be finalized by the end of the year. This will create the basis to show Austrian businesses that Brod is a place where investment is possible — and desirable. As a municipal administration, we have adopted a series of assembly decisions aimed at promoting our economic potential — from infrastructure development and support for connection to the electricity, sewage, and water supply networks, to various other incentives, including favourable land prices and efficient permit issuance. We hope this meeting will serve as a starting platform for building future cooperation.”
The Trade Counsellor of the Austrian Embassy in BiH, Marta Suda, stressed that the meeting left a very positive impression regarding the opportunities Brod offers.
“The meeting left a very positive impression, and I can see that great attention was paid to every detail. I have ten years of experience working with Austrian companies and investors, and I can say that Austrian firms can find here both the information and the environment they need,” Suda stated.
She added that choosing a production location is a complex, multi-stage process.
“The decision on a production site involves many phases for Austrian companies. The location and geographical position certainly represent an advantage in making such a decision.”
Those attending the meeting included Dragana Samardžija from the trade department of the Austrian Embassy, Father Ivan Tolj, representative of “Styria Media Group Croatia,” Ivan Berić, Director of the company “Anton Paar,” as well as members of the Mayor’s Cabinet, heads of relevant municipal departments and sections, and the President of the Municipal Assembly.
The Mayor of Brod expressed his gratitude to the representatives of the Embassy for today’s meeting, and in particular to Mr. Ivan Tolj, who has previously mediated the arrival of Austrian investors to the Brod area.