ISSUE 2023, No. 3, Article 5, Year of publication: 14, September, 2023
Environmental performance of a country as
competitiveness factor
AUTHOR
Goran Balotić, PhD*
*PhD Assistant Professor, University of East Sarajevo, Faculty of Economics of Pale, Department of Economic Theory, Policy and Development
ABSTRACT
ARTICLE INFO
Environmental problems have become one of the central global challenges. Not only do they influence the environment itself but also the
overall economic conditions. In an effort to make a significant turn in this field, the institutions of the European Union defined the 2019
Green Agenda as an initiatives package that seeks to implement a green transition towards a fair and prosperous society with a modern
and competitive economy, with the primary goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. With additional measures, the EU wants to ensure
equal conditions for its economic entities and those from countries outside the EU. These measures can be a challenge for Western
Balkans companies and countries. Inadequate adaptation to EU standards could seriously threaten the competitive positions of countries
like Bosnia and Herzegovina and other CEFTA members, who lag in the environmental standards area. A panel survey was conducted
to determine how relevant environmental indicators are for the level of competitiveness, exports, and economic activity of the CEFTA
countries. The results of six models that combine the influence of several environmental variables on each of the six distinct economic
indicators suggest that effective public policies in the field of ecology are necessary because by improving environmental performance,
the competitiveness of these countries economies can be significantly improved.