Brussels 06/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 2 June, the European Commission signed an agreement that brings Bosnia-Herzegovina into the COSME programme that seeks to enhance business and SME competitiveness.
The programme is aiming to introduce "clusters" (bringing together innovative businesses in the same place), internationalise the activities of SMEs, improve entrepreneurial skills, strengthen the tourism sector, simplify administrative procedures and facilitate access to financing sources.
Bosnia-Herzegovina is the 10th non-EU member state to join the programme after Iceland, Montenegro, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Moldova, Turkey, Albania, Serbia, Armenia and Ukraine (see EUROPE 11546). All enlargement candidate member states are therefore part of the programme, which has funding of €2.3 billion for the 2014-20 period.
Kosovo also expressed its interest in joining the programme but according to one source there is no legal basis within the programme to allow this. It would first of all be necessary for Spain, Romania, Greece, Cyprus and Slovakia to recognise the country in order for an amendment to the programme to be made, indicated this same source. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)