1st Project Progress Report: Laying the Foundations for a Circular Economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The CETAP project, funded by the European Union and implemented by COWI in partnership with SEI and UBA, has made strong strides in its mission to support Bosnia and Herzegovina’s transition towards a circular economy. The project aims to improve the recovery of materials from waste through separate collection, reuse, and recycling—placing sustainability at the heart of waste management reforms.
Key Achievements in the First Quarter
During the reporting period from November 2024 to February 2025, the project team focused on delivering Sub-Activity 1.1: a comprehensive assessment of market potential for applying circular economy principles to special waste categories.
Key milestones include:
- Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement: Many meetings were held with government bodies, municipal utilities, recycling operators, and EPR scheme coordinators across both entities and Brčko District. This engagement has been vital for understanding the current landscape and building cooperation.
- Policy and Regulatory Review: A full review of relevant waste legislation across the Federation of BiH, Republika Srpska, and Brčko District is underway. The findings will shape future legal reforms to align with the EU Waste Package and Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.
- Data Collection on Special Waste Streams: The team has mapped producers of special categories of waste (e.g. WEEE, tyres, oils, construction and demolition waste), and started collecting quantity and treatment data, with requests issued to Environmental Funds for input.
- Formation of Thematic Working Groups: Expert-led working groups are being launched to steer actions in legal alignment, economic modelling, technical planning, and public awareness. These groups will begin formal meetings in March.
What Comes Next
With the groundwork laid, CETAP is now moving toward:
- Finalising the Study on Market Potential for Circular Economy Application
- Launching capacity building programmes for stakeholders at all levels
- Initiating the drafting of new legal frameworks and supporting municipal-level planning
- Preparing for the development of a national waste exchange platform, with technical input from Croatian experts
- Designing a nationwide public awareness campaign to engage citizens on reuse, recovery, and recycling
Sustainable Waste Management Starts with Strategy
CETAP is not just a technical assistance project—it’s a catalyst for systemic change. By embedding circular economy principles into the country’s policy, infrastructure, and public mindset, Bosnia and Herzegovina is taking a bold step toward a greener, more resource-efficient future.
For ongoing updates and announcements, visit www.cetap.ba/en/news.
2nd Project Steering Committee Meeting
March marked a significant milestone on the Circular Economy project in Bosnia & Hercegovina as we hosted the second Project Steering Committee meeting. It has been a really productive period on the project and marks the start of an intensive period of activity in the run up to the summer period. We now turn our attention to the Implementation phase and the first activities of the project.
The steering committee meeting was held in Sarajevo and it was really good to meet the members of the committee again and go through the outputs of the reporting period together. The meeting is also an opportunity for the members of the committee to get an insight into the implementation plans in a bit more detail than was outlined on the implementation methodology.
The steering committee are really supportive of the project and its aims and objectives. They all have a clear understanding of what the expectation level is from this technical assistance project and how they can optimise the benefits from it for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
We have a three-monthly cycle of project steering committee meetings The team are really looking forward to working with them over the course of the project lifetime. The next meeting is planned for the end of June 2025 and this will work in well with the completion of the first activities of the implementation phase.
Driving Circular Change: Financial and Legislative Insights from March 2025 Mission
As Bosnia and Herzegovina continues its transition toward a circular economy, the CETAP project is building the knowledge, partnerships and policy groundwork needed to reform waste management across the country. In March 2025, financial and legislative expert Mihail Asenov led a mission to deepen the project's understanding of economic structures, policy alignment, and the role of extended producer responsibility (EPR) in driving change.
Bridging Policy, Practice and the Market
The mission, carried out between 9–20 March, engaged with over a dozen stakeholders across Sarajevo, Banja Luka, and Brčko District, including ministries, environmental funds, producer responsibility organisations (PROs), and private sector actors. These meetings revealed critical opportunities and obstacles in aligning Bosnia and Herzegovina’s systems with the EU Waste Package and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans.
Key Highlights and Learnings
- Waste Exchange Platform Development: Consultations with the Environmental Protection Funds of both entities confirmed institutional interest in hosting a national waste exchange platform. Discussions covered technical, financial, and governance considerations.
- EPR System Fragmentation: The mission highlighted inconsistencies in EPR fee collection, reporting, and enforcement. Stakeholders identified a need for regulatory harmonisation, improved oversight, and greater transparency—especially in the packaging and e-waste sectors.
- Market Realities and Data Gaps: Many PROs reported underfunding, unclear legal responsibilities, and significant gaps in data quality and waste tracking. Several called for reforms to ensure open tendering and the inclusion of more private collectors.
- Government Engagement: Ministries from both the Federation and Republika Srpska expressed commitment to legislative alignment with EU directives. However, capacity building and clearer implementation pathways are still needed.
- Chambers and Collaboration: The Chamber of Economy of FBiH welcomed the opportunity to play a coordinating role in circular economy planning, especially around awareness raising and training.
Next Steps
Based on the mission’s outcomes, the following actions are underway:
- Formation of a Finance, Economy and Market Working Group by the end of April.
- Drafting of the Study on Market Potential for circular economy transition.
- Development of coordinated plans for EPR reform and economic instrument alignment.
- Preparation of the next mission, scheduled for late April.
Laying the Economic Foundation for Circularity
This mission provided essential insight into the economic and legal conditions underpinning Bosnia and Herzegovina’s circular economy potential. As the CETAP project progresses, these findings will inform not only strategic planning but also practical recommendations for building a robust, harmonised, and financially viable system for waste recovery and recycling.
To learn more and follow the progress of CETAP, visit www.cetap.ba/en/news.
Strengthening Circular Economy Insights Across Bosnia and Herzegovina: Highlights from the March 2025 Mission
The EU-funded CETAP project continues to advance Bosnia and Herzegovina’s journey toward a circular economy. As part of this momentum, an expert mission was conducted in March 2025 across several regions, providing invaluable on-the-ground insights into local waste management practices, infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement.
On-the-Ground Engagement Across the Federation and Republika Srpska
Led by international expert Maria Krasteva from Environment Agency Austria, the mission covered key municipalities in both entities, including Canton 10 (Livno), Tuzla, Zenica, Travnik, and Banja Luka. The objective was to assess the current state of waste generation, collection, and treatment—with a focus on special categories such as e-waste, used tyres, batteries, and End-of-Life Vehicles (EoLVs).
Site visits and interviews were conducted with:
- Public Utility Companies (PUCs) in Livno, Tuzla, Travnik, and Zenica
- Private scrap and recycling operators
- Metal reprocessing firms (e.g., Cibos)
- Local environmental authorities
- The Chamber of Commerce of Republika Srpska
- Regional landfill and sorting facilities in Sarajevo
Key Findings
- Varying Levels of Readiness: The mission revealed significant regional differences in capacity and infrastructure for waste collection and recycling. Some cantons have initiated dual collection systems, while others still rely heavily on mixed waste disposal.
- Challenges in Special Waste Categories: Consistent issues were raised around handling of EoLVs, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), and tyres—largely due to fragmented responsibilities, insufficient enforcement, and lack of data.
- Resource Constraints and Investment Needs: Across both public and private stakeholders, a common concern was the limited financial and technical capacity to implement advanced waste recovery solutions without external support.
- Strong Willingness to Cooperate: Encouragingly, all stakeholders expressed readiness to participate in technical working groups and to align their strategies with CETAP’s goals.
Looking Ahead
The mission outcomes will directly inform the development of the Study on the Market Potential for Circular Economy Application, feeding into the assessment of market potential for circular economy principles. Follow-up actions include:
- Establishment of a dedicated Technical Working Group by the end of April.
- Finalisation of activity plans to support legal harmonisation and local implementation.
- Continued collaboration on waste data collection and planning support for municipal partner.
Collaboration in Action
CETAP’s hands-on approach—combining policy planning with deep community engagement—is already proving instrumental in tailoring solutions to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s unique context. The March mission reinforced the need for integrated action across government levels, industry, and civil society to make the circular economy a functional reality.
To stay updated on future activities and reports, visit www.cetap.ba/en/news.
Project Team Visit to Mostar
Mostar is an important city for the project team as it is host to the only function Environment Fund at Cantonal level in the Federation. Dr Musetoiu and the project team leader travelled to Mostar to meet representatives from the Cantonal Fund. It was an excellent meeting and the project team meet with the following representatives from the Fund: Daniel Brkić, Legal Department and Goran Čevro, Technical Service.
Project Team Visit to Bijeljina
It was a long snowy drive from Sarajevo to Bijeljina but it was a worthwhile journey to have the opportunity to discuss the project and hopefully future collaboration with the Association of Municipalities in Republika Srpska (ALVRS) who offices are in the city of Bijeljina.
It was a pleasure to meet with Mr Branislav Samardžić and Predrag Pajić and to better understand the role of the ALVRS. We look forward to future co-operation with them as they can provide a vital communication link between the project and the Municipal stakeholders.
Before we left Bijeljina we had another meeting at the regional landfill site to meet representatives of the Solid Waste Association of Bonia & Hertzegovina (BASWA).