BOSNIAN FOREIGN TRADE DEFICIT IN 2007 REACHES 7 BILLION BOSNIAN MARKS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (October 31,2007) – For the first nine months this year Bosnia's exports have increased by 16% as compared with the same period last year and now amount to 4,5 billion Bosnian Marks (3,3 billion USD), but the imports have risen even more – by 23% totaling 9,8 billion Bosnian Marks (7,2 billion USD).

The anticipation is that by the end of the year the exports will reach 6 billion Bosnian Marks (), and the imports 13 billion Bosnian Marks (9,5 billion USD), so that the Bosnian foreign trade deficits will exceed 7 billion Bosnian Marks (5,1 billion USD), completely engulfing the imports.

The wholesale network in Bosnia greatly contributes to the negative foreign trade balance of the country.

“We incur the greatest deficit through Slovenian, Serbian and Austrian wholesales, because it is through them that we import the goods from the third countries” – the Vice-president of the FBiH Entity Chamber of Commerce, Jago Lasić explained and added that in the first nine months Bosnia mostly traded with Croatia, followed by Germany, Slovenia and Italy.