It has been held on 11th of April 2018 in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the First Business Conference of the Forum of Adriatic and Ionian, organized by the Forum itself, together with the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Bosnian Herzegovina one. The Conference was organized around four specific development topics: the pure energy, the transport connettivity, the digital transformation, the tourism and trade of the Adriatic-Ionian area.

The Conference was open by the Vice-President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Marko Šantić, by the Secretary General of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, Pavle Radovanovic, by the Consultant to the President of the Chamber of Economy of Serbia, Mihailo Vesovic, by the Croatian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Dragan Čović and by the President of AIC Forum and the Vice-President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy as well, Mirjana Čagalj. Mrs Čagalj has pointed out in particular the importance of the balance in the Adriatic and Ionian Macro Region, as a prerequisite for the development of the area itself and for the whole European Union.

About the pure energy, the discussion was focused on the message that renewable energy sources are a long-term choice and there are no alternatives.
For the connettivity transport the panel highlight the importance of the Adriatic-Ionian corridor, and the modernization of transport infrastructures as well, which will improve the economic development of the region.
About the digital transformation, it has been

noted that the 50% of the companies and enterprises of the region don’t have a clear strategy for the digital transformation, and this is one of the biggest problem. The panel concluded addressing the issue of the necessity of rapid cheanges in digital transformation, because the impact of the tecnhology will be more and more strong for the business.
About the trade and tourism, the panel was focuesd on the importance of local products and the seasonal tourism in the Adriatic-Ionian area, highlighting the fact that tourism is a horizontal activity that permeates all branches of the economy.

The Conference was closed by the President of AIC Forum Mirjana Čagalj, who emphasized how the how coordinated approaches between countries and development topics are the key words of this first Business Conference of the AIC Forum.

Here you can also check a short video of the event.