On 06/11/2023, a joint meeting of the Association for Electromobility and the Association of Authorized Dealers and Car Traders was held in the premises of the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of BiH.
The aim of the meeting was to present the activities of both associations, given that numerous joint initiatives had been launched in the previous period, with certain progress and results already recorded. This primarily refers to the importance of the decision to suspend customs duties on the import of electric vehicles and reduce them to 5% on the import of hybrid vehicles, as well as the current incentives for legal entities and individuals when purchasing environmentally friendly vehicles at the federal level.
In order to improve mutual cooperation and future dialogue, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations also attended the meeting, Mr. Hajrudin Podbićanin, Assistant Minister of the Sector for Customs Policy and Tariffs, and Ms. Željka Kovač, Head of the Department for Research, Analysis and Planning of Customs-Tariff Policy Measures.
In his introductory address, the President of the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of BiH, Mr. Mirsad Jašarspahić, stated that the intensive growth in the number of members of the Association for Electromobility shows that the timely importance of establishing the Association has been recognized, and that the amplified voice of representatives of the BiH economy within the Association of Authorized Dealers and Car Traders and the Association for Electromobility has resulted in the first significant progress, as a basis for stronger development of electromobility in BiH.
The President of the Association of Authorized Dealers and Car Traders, Mr. Miro Sesar, pointed out the noticeable increase in demand for electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and hybrids, and that this year, especially since the adoption of the decision on suspensions, a significant number of these vehicles has been registered every month compared to the previous period without support in customs suspension and subsidies.
At the same time, the President of the Association for Electromobility, Mr. Adnan Bosović, in his presentation emphasized the need to intensify activities on infrastructure development, namely with “fast”, DC chargers, where the main stumbling block is the legal framework, which in the Federation of BiH, in each canton, requires obtaining a building permit.
Also, in the joint presentation by Mr. Bosović and Mr. Sesar, the next intensive steps and activities of both associations were presented in order to improve the environment for the development of electromobility with continuity of what has already been achieved.
Particularly interesting to the members present was the presentation by Mr. Armin Hodžić, Director of the Energy Sector at the Chamber of Economy of the Federation of BiH, on the topic: “A review of the adopted set of electricity laws in the Federation of BiH from the perspective of electromobility”, which also means a new business model and opportunities that electromobility brings to BiH business entities, following international frameworks.
To the members present, Anela Karahasan, Secretary of the Association, also provided an overview of the international state and requirements of electromobility, which BiH should already begin preparing for, especially from the aspect of the Alternative Fuels Directive, according to which every 60 km along the main routes of the TEN-T network, the installation of chargers with 400 kW, i.e. 600 kW by 2028, is mandatory, given that smart sustainable development of the indicative expansion of the TEN-T road network is also envisaged for the countries of the Western Balkans.
In that spirit, in a constructive discussion during the meeting, the members of the Association emphasized their readiness and need for further training and cooperation, especially the need to regulate infrastructure development with smart chargers following the example of EU countries, in order to facilitate the process of use for users and, in particular, to more easily monitor and improve the electricity system.
During the meeting, a re-election vote was also held for the leadership of the Association for Electromobility for a term of 4 (four) years. The members voted confidence in:
Adnan Bosović (EPBIH), President of the Association
Almir Cero (BIHAMK), Vice President
Dejan Šćepanović, (HAGER) Vice President
