Chair of the Joint Committee for Economic Reforms and Development of PABiH Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević Participates in the 3rd Parliamentary-Economic Forum of PAM for the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Region in Marrakesh

The Chair of the Joint Committee for Economic Reforms and Development of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PABiH), Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, participated, upon the invitation of the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), in the 3rd Parliamentary-Economic Forum of PAM for the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Region, held in Marrakesh (Kingdom of Morocco).

This year's PAM Parliamentary-Economic Forum was dedicated to issues related to tariff trends and their impact, in light of relations between global economies such as the United States, the European Union (EU), and China, and the effects of these relations on member states of the Mediterranean and Gulf regions. Particular emphasis was placed on the uncertainty reflected in supply chains, as well as the pervasive trend of uncertainty in global trade flows. Topics were opened regarding the need to reassess the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which could be particularly challenging for Bosnia and Herzegovina, given that the country has yet to conclude negotiations for full membership in this important body.

Simultaneously, unavoidable topics at this Forum included the Sustainable Development Goals, whether concerning renewable energy sources, technological transformations in the oil industry, gas supply stability issues, or ensuring stable energy supply with special attention paid to clean technologies and reduced CO2 emissions.

It was highlighted that some member states, including our country, face specific challenges in regulating so-called large combustion plants, mine transformations, and the introduction of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) tax, which represents an additional burden for exporters, with full awareness that the set of energy laws in BiH has yet to enter parliamentary procedure.

The focus of discussions at the Marrakesh Forum also included issues of digitalization and the intensive impact of artificial intelligence on both economic and security parameters of business operations. It was noted that these issues are treated entirely differently in the EU in terms of legal regulation, while in the U.S., India, and China, a new trend toward deregulation, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence, is already emerging.

One of the more significant conclusions of the Forum was that multilateralism is deeply threatened at the global level and that parliaments serve as an important cohesive factor, making the role of PAM and the parliaments of member states increasingly significant.

On the sidelines of the Forum, the Chair of the Joint Committee for Economic Reforms and Development of PABiH, Ermina Salkičević-Dizdarević, met with the President of PAM, Gjulio Centemero. During the meeting, Salkičević-Dizdarević thanked him for the invitation to participate in the Marrakesh Forum and acknowledged that the work and activities of the Joint Committee for Economic Reforms and Development of PABiH have been recognized by PAM as highly significant within this international regional parliamentary organization.

Also participating in the 3rd Parliamentary-Economic Forum of PAM for the Euro-Mediterranean and Gulf Region in Marrakesh were the Chair of the PABiH Delegation to PAM, Rejhana Dervišević, and the Deputy Chair of the Delegation, Vlatko Glavaš. (End)