BOSNIA: FY09 BFIF PROJECT PROPOSALS

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 000075 SIPDIS STATE FOR EEB/CBA (DENNIS WINSTEAD) AND EUR/SCE COMMERCE FOR 4232/ITA/MAC/EUR SILVIA SAVICH ZAGREB FOR PAMELA WARD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BEXP ABUD AMGT BTIO ECON EINV ETRD SUBJECT: BOSNIA: FY09 BFIF PROJECT PROPOSALS REF: STATE 128559 ¶1. Post appreciates EEB/CBA's offer of Business Facilitation Incentive Fund (BFIF) support. Per reftel instructions, we submit the following proposals in rank priority order. Our responses are keyed to reftel instructions. ¶2. Regional Balkan Energy Meeting (Two-Day),April 2009. a) The Balkan region, including the former countries of Yugoslavia and Albania, have tremendous untapped opportunities in the energy sector, particularly in the field of electric power generation. Although Europe, and particularly Germany and Austria, hold a traditional advantage in these countries, it is critical that U.S. missions in the region learn the technical and competitive advantage of American companies in the energy sector and are able to capitalize on opportunities as they arise in the next few years, particularly in countries striving to modernize power generation facilities and those working to improve efficiency and environmental standards necessary to ultimately join the European Union. Embassy Sarajevo proposes a two-day meeting with interested Economic Counselors and Commercial Officers/Specialists from countries of the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Albania to discuss mutual opportunities in the energy sector, but most importantly, hear from U.S. company representatives and USG energy experts that can better focus traditionally non-technical energy experts on the task at hand -- improving export opportunities for U.S. companies in the energy sector. Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, is at a critical point of determining the next steps for widening its generation capacity, particularly hydropower and coal-powered facilities. There are also new opportunities in wind-powered generation. They have begun feasibility studies in the Federation, but are at an excellent point to seek the expertise of American energy companies who could provide equipment and advise on how to proceed. b) Our planning milestones are to first agree on a joint location and date for the event. We have had preliminary discussions with counterparts at other Embassies in the region, many of them have expressed interest in participating. A central location on the region to where �A;many participants could drive or fly has been proposed. We would then contact relevant US energy companies and USG experts to invite them to speak to the group, limiting the number based on travel costs, and likely recruiting US executives already based in Europe. An April event date would avoid the surge in costs of visiting more popular locales in the summer months. c) Estimated costs are as follows: Three-days per diem (two half-day travel days): $1350 Number of officers/specialists (approx): 15 Travel Costs for participants: $5000 (many could drive) Travel Costs for two US execs from Europe: $5000 Travel Costs for two USG energy experts from Washington: $10000 Total: $40,250 d) Points of Contact: Econ/Commercial Officer Tracey Newell e-mail: NewellTB@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2040 fax: 387-33-659-722 Commercial Specialist Edhem Brankovic email: BrankovicE@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2134 fax: 387-33-659-722 ¶3. Regional Balkan Energy Visit to Power Gen/Seminar, Cologne, Germany, May 2009 a) Similar to the justification for the proposed meeting above, an alternative proposal would be to gather Econ Counselors, Commercials Officers/Specialists at the May 26-28 Power Gen Trade Show in Cologne Germany. This would reduce the costs of bringing experts to speak to the regional group of officers, and maximize the number of potential speakers based on conference participants. b) Our planning milestones are generally fixed around the date of the event, and would entail reaching out to potential USG energy experts and US corporate executives intending to attend the conference and asking them to participate in our seminar. c) Estimated costs are as follows: Three-day per diem: $1077 Number of officers/specialists: 15 Travel Costs: $7500 Total: $23,655 d) Points of Contact: Econ/Commercial Officer Tracey Newell e-mail: NewellTB@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2040 fax: 387-33-659-722 Commercial Specialist Edhem Brankovic email: BrankovicE@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2134 fax: 387-33-659-722 ¶4. Training for Economic Specialist, BiH Banja Luka Officer, Commercial Tradecraft a) The Embassy's Banja Luka branch office represents the U.S. mission in the entity of the Republika Srpska, an area that has seen rapid growth in the private sector recently, and the entity government with the most progressive privatization policies. Because of this positive view toward the private sector, many U.S. and European companies have been attracted to the area to research business opportunities. Spomenko Guzijan is a long-time Economic Specialist from Banja Luka who attended the two-day Commercial Service meeting in Zagreb in October 2008. Since that meeting, he has already completed one successful business facilitation service for a local distributor of U.S. products. We would like to expand his knowledge of other Commercial Service opportunities and services, particularly in light of the newly-signed MOU with Commerce and State, and send him to the Commercial Tradecraft Course in Washington, DC in June 2009. b) Our planning milestones are straightforward -- successful completion of training in Washington and continued follow-up in Banja Luka with potential trade and investment opportunities for U.S. Companies. c) Estimate costs are as follows: Sarajevo-Washington, round trip airfare: $2000 Per Diem (Five Days): $1500 Ground Transport: $200 Total: $3700 d) Points of Contact: Econ/Commercial Officer Tracey Newell e-mail: NewellTB@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2040 fax: 387-33-659-722 Commercial Specialist Edhem Brankovic email: BrankovicE@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2134 fax: 387-33-659-722 ¶5. CEE Market Watch Online Publication 2009-2010 Subscription a) Embassy Sarajevo's ECON section scraped together the funds to finance a partial year of the online publication, CEE Market Watch, which has been critical to improving our understanding of the business and finance activities happening in the region. There are no other English publications to which we can refer for such information on Bosnia and Herzegovina and has been a quick and easy way to confirm information found in Bosnian language in the local press. With only one ECON and one Commercial specialist, we do not have the local personnel to sufficiently cover all of the relevant local economic and commercial news. Based on its importance to our commercial efforts, we propose using BFIF funds in 2009 to finance a one-year subscription to the publication. b) Planned milestones would be to request the subscription and begin to receive it once our existing subscription runs out in August 2009. c) Cost is as follows: One-year subscription (USG discounted rate): $1890 d) Points of Contact: Econ/Commercial Officer Tracey Newell e-mail: NewellTB@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2040 fax: 387-33-659-722 Commercial Specialist Edhem Brankovic email: BrankovicE@state.gov tel: 387-33-445-700 ext. 2134 fax: 387-33-659-722 ENGLISH