Čadež: A Unified Regional Approach Is Key to the Survival of Our Economies

“We no longer have time — the moment has come to decide whether our economies will survive or disappear. This is a crucial time to create a single economic area of the Western Balkans quickly,” said Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, ahead of the official opening of the 100 EXPO International Trade Fair and Conference in Sarajevo.

He emphasized that we live in an era of geopolitical turbulence, technological revolution, and shifting supply chains. “We are also facing CBAM taxes, the uncertainty of EU customs tariffs toward third countries, and some challenges that make us less competitive than the very companies operating within the European Union,” Čadež said, stressing that the only way to overcome these challenges is to send a clear message to both politicians and policymakers across the region.

“We must speak with one voice, regardless of whether we are Serbs, Bosniaks, Croats, or Albanians, because these differences will not help us overcome the difficult period ahead if we don’t sit together and create common policies,” he added.

The solution, he said, lies in establishing a ministerial-level council, a council of regional heads of state, and a unified voice of the Western Balkans region, in order to become part of the EU Single Market as soon as possible — even before achieving full membership.

“It is up to us to quickly create a single economic area of the Western Balkans and to begin serious talks with the European Union as soon as possible, because I believe there is no other way for us to survive,” Čadež emphasized.

He added that it is time to think less about ourselves individually and more about how to generate growth in our region, how to create jobs in our region, and how to live normal lives.

“All the companies participating in this fair will say the same thing — we are all facing the same problems,” noted Čadež.

Ahmet Egrlić, President of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stated: “It is highly significant that in this first year of organizing the fair — which should become a place for connection and business meetings in the future — we have Serbia as the partner country, with which we have the largest trade exchange, and that exchange continues to grow every year.”

The 100 EXPO – International Trade Fair and Conference is organized as part of the project “100 Largest Companies in BiH and the Region”, bringing together the most successful companies, entrepreneurs, and investors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region.

Serbia, this year’s partner country at the 100 EXPO International Fair, is represented by the following companies: IGM Mladost d.o.o. (Leskovac), PIMI d.o.o. (Belgrade), Smurfit Westrock Avala Ada d.o.o. (Belgrade), INFOFIN d.o.o. – Royal Hotels (Loznica), ERA PACKAGING d.o.o. (Šljivovica), EKO-BOX Kontejneri, CINEFILM (Belgrade), MODEL 5 (Belgrade), LIGNODOM d.o.o. (Belgrade), GASPAROVSKI d.o.o. (Bač), LOGERA d.o.o. (Belgrade), DESIGN ARCHITECTURE NETWORK d.o.o. (Novi Sad), as well as the Center for Digital Transformation and the Business Academy of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.