Focus of the SEI Project: Establishing the first Social enterprise in Brčko

The project “Socio-economic inclusion in the Brčko District of BiH”, which is being financed for the second year by the Government of the Czech Republic with the assistance of the Development Agency of this country and the support of the District Government and the implementation of the Development Guarantee Fund of the Brčko District of BiH and CARE International Balkans, is entering its final phase for this year. Therefore, an informative and consultative meeting was held today with representatives of the Brčko District authorities, namely the Department for Economic Development, Sports and Culture, with a focus on opening the first social enterprise in the Brčko District.

“The meeting was very successful because our hosts, the head of the relevant Department Srđan Blažić and the head of the Sub-Department for Economy Amra Abadžić, listened very carefully to the results of the SEI project activities to date, as well as our idea to make a social enterprise operational within the project,” said project manager Branislav Tanasijević, adding that, while once again expressing gratitude to the Government of the Czech Republic for the entire project, representatives of the Brčko authorities gave their absolute support to the idea of ​​establishing a social enterprise in the District.

This was an opportunity to certainly hear both sides’ thoughts on the practical implementation of the idea of ​​a social enterprise.

“It is very important to us that we heard from the representatives of the authorities an absolute commitment to the social enterprise in the District to come to life, and for it to be sustainable in the long term. All the more so, it was said, because social enterprises need people with disabilities and developmental difficulties, as well as other marginalized groups. In this sense, we exchanged very useful ideas that essentially lead to the Brcko Government being ready to financially support the entire idea, and the first visible step towards the above will be to issue a public call for all interested parties who are ready to realize their ideas through the establishment of a social enterprise,” emphasized Tanasijević, adding that the presence of the engaged economic science consultants Prof. Nino Serdarević, PhD and Prof. Slavko Simić, PhD at this meeting was also very important.

Professors Serdarević and Simić also met yesterday with representatives of partner civil society organizations and employees of the SEI Center, in order to elaborate in more detail the idea of ​​establishing a social enterprise.

“Once again, on this occasion, I reiterated that the establishment of the first social enterprise in Brčko is planned by the end of this year and that we expect to announce a public call at the beginning of November,” said Tanasijević.

The public call itself, as agreed at the meeting, will be implemented in two cycles. “First, we will give those interested the opportunity to contact the SEI Center. This moment is very important because participants, in addition to education on writing a business plan, will have the opportunity to learn about all the specifics of a social enterprise, so that they can make a decision whether they really want to enter the process of establishing such an enterprise”, Tanasijević emphasized that it is particularly important that the developed business plans reach those who will decide on the best, or most successful, business plan.”

Prof. Serdarević emphasizes that the Brčko District should establish a register of social enterprises and that it is very important that the state has direct supervision over them and that their survival can be ensured only if there is continuous supervision and assistance from the state, because social enterprises cannot be competitive like other enterprises.

One of the guidelines, according to Prof. Serdarević, is that a social enterprise should unite agricultural farms or people who have certain resources and are engaged in certain jobs, in order to enable them to place their goods and products on the market. It is also possible for representatives of the non-governmental sector to come together and organize the purchase of products from their target categories of citizens for their placement, which would ensure the sustainability of the enterprise’s business.

“Once again, on this occasion, I reiterated that the establishment of the first social enterprise in Brčko is planned by the end of this year and that we expect to announce a public call at the beginning of November,” said Tanasijević.

The public call itself, as agreed at the meeting, will be implemented in two cycles. “First, we will give those interested the opportunity to contact the SEI Center. This moment is very important because participants, in addition to education on writing a business plan, will have the opportunity to learn about all the specifics of a social enterprise, so that they can make a decision whether they really want to enter the process of establishing such an enterprise,” Tanasijević emphasized, adding that it is particularly important that the developed business plans reach those who will decide on the best, or most successful, business plan.

Professor Serdarević emphasizes that the Brčko District should establish a register of social enterprises and that it is very important that the state has direct supervision over them and that their survival can be ensured only if there is continuous supervision and assistance from the state, because social enterprises cannot be competitive like other enterprises.

One of the guidelines, according to Prof. Serdarević, is that a social enterprise should unite agricultural farms or people who have certain resources and are engaged in certain jobs, in order to enable them to place their goods and products on the market. It is also possible for representatives of the non-governmental sector to come together and organize the purchase of products from their target categories of citizens for their placement, which would ensure the sustainability of the enterprise’s business.