As much as other spheres of life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the culture is also suffering from the consequences of the division of Bosnia & Herzegovina into largely separate entities. There is no ministry of culture at the state level, and this affects many institutions which are of national importance. The main areas of concern identified by the participants are related to the lack of of a national cultural policy, lack of clear criteria for the allocation of funds, politically-driven support both for organisations and for appointments to leading positions, along with a range of administrative obstacles, VAT policies, ATA Carnet, tax exemption, etc.
The participants gave a valuable input to the creation of an editorial strategy for the programme and provided their views on how the leading players might work together.
Similar meetings will be held in Republika Srpska, and in other countries participating in the project – Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia – to arrive at a cohesive and inclusive approach to cultural poly across the wider region