Thewesternbalkans
The Minister of Communications and Transport of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Edin Forto, signed the Agreement on joining the Digital Europe Programme, the aim of which is to bring digital technology closer to citizens, businesses and public administration in the EU and the countries associated with the programme, and to build digital infrastructure.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, as stated by the Head of the EU Delegation and Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler, becomes part of the locomotive of digital Europe through participation in the significant Digital Europe Programme worth 7.5 billion euros.
“There are three things that should be emphasized that are important elements of the program, and the first is artificial intelligence, which is a current topic all over the world, while the second topic is supercomputing through the digital revolution, one element in which BiH has significant potential. It’s not just about artificial intelligence and machines and devices, but the third component, which concerns human resources and skills improvement,” said Sattler.
These activities, as he added, build on everything that has been done within a significant program supported by the EU called EU4DigitalSME. Through the program, support has been provided for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the establishment of four digital innovation hubs, two in Sarajevo and one each in Tuzla and Banja Luka, was worked on.
The agency for Identification Documents, Registers, and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA BiH) has hailed the agreement, noting its importance in ensuring the integrity and security of digital IDs and data.
Comment: To become part of Digital Europe Programme opens totally new opportunities for the economic and IT development of the country. Participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina will be able to take part in projects that deploy digital technologies across the EU in specific areas such as artificial intelligence and advanced digital skills. They will also be able to set up Digital Innovation Hubs in the country.
This will bring Bosnia and Herzegovina closer to the EU economy and society, benefit their technology capabilities and support digitalization overall, in particular that of small and medium-sized businesses.
