GIZ Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro

Today in Podgorica, experts and institutional partners gathered at the conference “Advantages of Resolving Commercial Disputes through Alternative Methods” to discuss how stronger arbitration and mediation systems can enhance legal certainty and support Montenegro’s economic development. The conference was opened by H.E. Peter Felten, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, together with Bojan Božović, Minister of Justice of Montenegro, and, among others, Aleksandar Ćorsović, Technical Advisor at GIZ. Ambassador Felten stressed that major projects bring opportunities — but also risks of complex disputes — making reliable dispute-resolution frameworks essential for investor confidence and for safeguarding Montenegro’s economic interests. Aleksandar Ćorsović highlighted that efficient dispute prevention and resolution mechanisms are key to ensuring a more predictable and trusted environment for investment. In the panel discussion, Fahira Brodlija (GIZ) underlined the growing complexity of international projects and the importance of strengthening Montenegro’s institutional capacities in mediation and arbitration — an effort supported through the RegioTrade initiative, in cooperation with the AIRE Centre. Experts agreed that faster and more efficient dispute resolution can reduce the burden on courts, shorten timelines, and foster cooperation between institutions and investors — directly contributing to Montenegro’s competitiveness. Collectively, these efforts are paving the way for a stronger and more predictable justice system that protects economic interests, builds trust, and supports sustainable growth and Montenegro’s EU integration. The event is organized by the The AIRE Centre Western Balkans in cooperation with the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, with the support of the the German Government through the GIZ RegioTrade initiative, as well as the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Embassy in Podgorica.

🌍What does a “just” energy transition really mean for people on the ground? That question brought together in Bar, Montenegro over 20 officials from across the region — representing the social, energy, and education sectors, along with grassroots NGOs — for the Just Transition Training, under the Regional Climate Partnership between Germany and the Western Balkans. Over three days, participants explored how social and labour dimensions can be effectively integrated into the region’s energy transition. The topic addressed is both complex and cross-sectoral, touching upon energy, social, education, and gender dimensions. It enabled meaningful dialogue and collaboration among diverse institutions and experts. 🌱The training was based on a Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH-developed Just Transition Toolkit for the Western Balkans, designed to help regional partners embed socially inclusive and labour-responsive measures into their renewable energy transition pathways. With its modular design and step-by-step framework, the toolkit supports institutions to: 🗺️Conduct screening and mapping before planning; 🎯Design targeted measures to address social and labour gaps; 🤝Build buy-in among actors and develop tools for implementation, inspired by European best practices. 🚀The training served as a pilot exercise, allowing participants to apply and test the toolkit’s approaches in practice — paving the way for a more socially just and inclusive energy transition across the Western Balkans. The activity was organised as part of the regional project “Green Agenda: Decarbonisation of the Electricity Sector in the Western Balkans”, implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Government.

We are honoured to join today’s conference “Advantages of Resolving Commercial Disputes through Alternative Methods” in Podgorica, where H.E. Peter Felten, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, will open the event together with Bojan Božović, Minister of Justice of Montenegro, and other distinguished speakers. Our colleague Aleksandar Ćorsović, GIZ, will also speak in the opening session, emphasizing how reliable institutional frameworks for dispute prevention and resolution contribute to investment stability, legal certainty, and sustainable growth in Montenegro and the wider region. The event is organized by the The AIRE Centre Western Balkans in cooperation with the Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution, with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom and the British Embassy in Podgorica, as well as the German Government and GIZ through the RegioTrade initiative.

The "Good Energy" conference was held in Zagreb, bringing together key players in the energy transition from Southeast Europe. The conference focused on one of the most important questions of our time: how to increase energy supply security and build a more resilient energy system through the concept of citizen energy and energy communities.    📋 What did the conference cover? 🔹 EU policy and the citizen energy package. The opening session was dedicated to the European legislative framework that enables the development of citizen energy. Instruments, support and mechanisms that the EU makes available to accelerate this transition were presented. 🔹 Strengthening citizen energy – how does it work? Current projects, models and approaches that address specific challenges of citizen energy in our region were discussed. From financing, through technical solutions, to legal barriers – everything was on the table. 🔹 Citizen energy in practice. This was an opportunity to hear authentic stories from the field. Representatives from the municipalities of Kakanj, Modriča and the city of Mostar shared their experiences, motivation and key success factors in establishing energy communities. Particularly inspiring was the story of cooperation with GIZ, which provides expert support to Kakanj and seven other municipalities and cities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina. This support includes not only professional advice, but also financial assistance for the implementation of pilot projects – the first energy communities in our country. The representative of the city of Mostar, Darko Knežević, participated in the panel and presented concrete steps they have taken in cooperation with GIZ, but also spoke about administrative procedures and challenges they face.    One of the sessions was focused on open dialogue between initiatives from the region. Representatives from Modriča, Mostar and Kakanj exchanged experiences with colleagues from other Southeast European countries, identifying common challenges and key elements that enable faster replication of successful models.    The conference also brought valuable lessons from countries that have already made significant progress in developing citizen energy. Representatives from Slovenia, Austria and the Czech Republic shared their national approaches, strategies and concrete examples of successful energy communities. These models serve as inspiration and a guide for local communities in BiH that will implement their pilot projects within the CAET project. From Zagreb, we bring back not only knowledge and contacts but also renewed energy (the good kind!) to continue our work. The pilot projects that will soon be implemented throughout BiH in cooperation with GIZ will be proof that citizen energy can function in our context as well.    #EnergyCommunities #CitizenEnergy #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #BiH #GIZ #CAETProject

GIZ teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro joined the “Race for the Cure”! 🩷 In solidarity with women fighting breast cancer, colleagues from GIZ Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro took part in the #RaceForTheCure events in Sarajevo and Podgorica. Our teams ran and walked together to raise awareness and show support for all women affected by breast cancer. Together for strength, health, and solidarity. 💗 Daniel Bagwitz Omanovic Amira Jelena Perunicic Vesna Jablan Svetlana Pešić #GIZ #RaceForTheCure #Podgorica #Sarajevo #NijednaSamaUTrci #NoneAloneInTheRace #Solidarity #Health #TogetherForChange

🤝Dijalog koji gradi budućnost 🤝 U okviru pete po redu godišnje konferencije „Budućnost stručnog obrazovanja i obuke (VET): Zajednička odgovornost“, u Zenici je održan poseban događaj – „Kafa s poslovnim liderima“, neformalno druženje ambasadora i predstavnika vodećih kompanija iz Bosne i Hercegovine. 🇧🇦 Ambasadori 🇦🇹 Georg Diwald (Austrija), 🇩🇪 Alfred Grannas (Njemačka) i 🇨🇭 Gabriele Enrico Derighetti (Švicarska) razgovarali su sa predstavnicima bh. privrede o iskustvima, izazovima i uspjesima saradnje u oblasti stručnog obrazovanja i razvoja radne snage. ☕️ Tokom ovog kratkog, ali značajnog susreta, razmijenjena su mišljenja o ekonomskim partnerstvima, dualnom obrazovanju i ulozi kompanija koje već godinama aktivno doprinose reformama stručnog obrazovanja – često ulažući vlastite resurse bez očekivanja direktne koristi. 💬 Ovaj susret predstavlja simboličan znak zahvalnosti za kontinuiranu podršku diplomatskih partnera i poslovne zajednice u jačanju saradnje između obrazovanja i tržišta rada – temelj održivog ekonomskog razvoja i budućnosti mladih u Bosni i Hercegovini. #VETBiH #ZnanjeZaBudućnost #StručnoObrazovanje #DualnoObrazovanje #Edukacija #Privreda #Partnerstvo #ZajedničkaOdgovornost #GIZ #SEDEP #Austria #Germany #Switzerland #Zenica #EconomicCooperation #SkillsForFuture

🌱 Znanje koje pokreće budućnost 💡 Unapređenje stručnog obrazovanja znači ulaganje u mlade, privredu i budućnost Bosne i Hercegovine. 🇧🇦 Na petoj po redu godišnjoj konferenciji “Budućnost stručnog obrazovanja i obuke (VET): Zajednička odgovornost”, razgovaralo se o tome kako povezati škole, privredu i institucije – jer samo zajedno možemo izgraditi moderan sistem koji mladima daje vještine, a tržištu rada kvalifikovanu snagu. 🤝 Reforma obrazovanja nije laka, ali je neophodna. 📘 Više od 70% učenika u BiH pohađa stručne škole – zato je važno da im pružimo znanje koje otvara vrata budućnosti. Kako je poručila Snježana Kopruner, direktorica GS-Tvornice mašina: “Obrazovanje je naša budućnost. Moramo stvoriti uslove da mladi ostanu ovdje.” Podrška partnera konferencije iz 🇩🇪 Njemačke, 🇨🇭 Švicarske i 🇦🇹 Austrije pokazuje da je put ka kvalitetnom obrazovanju zajednička evropska misija. 📍Ova inicijativa je dio SEDEP programa, kojeg implementira GIZ, a koji u okviru podrške razvoja stručnog obrazovanja i obuke u Bosni i Hercegovini sufinansiraju Vlada Švicarske i Vlada SR Njemačke (BMZ). 🌍 Ulaganje u znanje nije trošak – to je investicija u održivu budućnost. Više o tome čitajte na https://lnkd.in/drQVTaat #VETBiH #ZnanjeZaBudućnost #StručnoObrazovanje #Edukacija #MladiBiH #Partnerstvo #Inovacije #ZajedničkaOdgovornost #SEDEP #DigitalnaEkonomija

🌍 Digital Transformation for Sustainable Tourism in BiH 🇧🇦 The Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism has launched Prijava.ba – a new digital tourist registration system marking a major milestone in modernizing the tourism sector across the Federation of BiH. Federal Minister Nasiha Pozder emphasized that digitalization is key to building sustainable tourism. The system makes guest registration easier, streamline administration, and provides reliable data for better planning and development. Already active in six cantons, the platform was presented to others preparing for implementation. Zvonimir Širić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of West Herzegovina Canton, noted that such innovations bring benefits to all — from service providers to institutions. 🤝 GIZ is proud to support this initiative through the EU4PSD project – EU for Private Sector Development in BiH, co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Together, we’re advancing sustainable economic growth and employment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 💪 #DigitalTransformation #SustainableTourism #EU4PSD #TourismBiH #GIZBiH #Innovation #SustainableDevelopment #BosniaAndHerzegovina #GIZ