Country Profile Bosnia and Herzegovina Learnmera English

8/20/2019 Country Profile Bosnia and Herzegovina Learnmera English

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/country-profile-bosnia-and-herzegovina-learnmera-english 1/21

Info4Migrants

BOSNIA ANDHERZEGOVINACountry prole

Project number: UK/13/LLP-LdV/TOI-615



Area 51,197 km2

3,600 mlnPOPULATION

GDP per capita

CURRENCY

$4,940

Languages BOSNIAN, CROATIAN,

SERBIAN

Converble mark (BAM)



COUNTRY BACKGROUND

Ocial name: Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Locaon: Bosnia and Herzegovina is located in southeastern

Europe on the Balkan Peninsula, between Croaa, Serbia and

Montenegro.

Capital: Sarajevo

Climate: The climate features hot summers and cold winters. In

higher elevaons of the country, summers tend to be short and

cold while winters tend to be long and severe. Along the coast,

winters tend to be short and rainy.

Ethnic groups: In 2002, about 48.3% of the people were Bos-

niak (Muslim) and 34% were Serbs. Croats made up about

15.4% of the populace. Regardless of ethnicity, a cizen of

Bosnia and Herzegovina is oen idened in English as a Bos-nian. The terms Herzegovinian and Bosnian are maintained as a

regional rather than ethnic disncon, and the region of Herze-

govina has no precisely dened borders of its own.

Naonal Flag

Naonal emblem

Bosnia andHerzegovina

CROATIA

Sarajevo

MONTENEGRO

S E R B I A

3 Country profle BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINALearnmera Oy



BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

FACTSCurrency

The Bosnia and Herzegovina converble mark (Bos-

nian, Croaan and Serbian: konverbilna marka, Cyrillic:

конвертибилна марка) is thecurrency of Bosnia and Herze-

govina. It is divided into 100 fenings (Bosnian, Croaan and

Serbian Lan: feninga, Serbian Cyrillic: фенинга). It is local-

ly abbreviated KM (Lan) or КМ (Cyrillic). The converble

mark was established by the 1995 Dayton Agreement and

replaced the Bosnia and Herzegovina dinar, Croaan kuna

and Republika Srpska dinar as the currency of Bosnia and

Herzegovina in 1998.

Stećak

This is the name for the monumental medieval tomb-

stones that lie scaered across Bosnia and Herzegovina,

and the border parts of Croaa, Montenegro and Serbia,

although almost exclusively following the borders of the

medieval Bosnian Kingdom. They are the country’s most

legendary symbol. The largest collecon of these tomb-

stones are outside the city of Radimlja in Herzegovina.

Family names

Almost all Bosnian family names end in “ic,” which essenal-

ly means “child of,” much like the English “John-son.” Wom-

en’s rst names tend to end in “a” and “ica,” pronounced

EET-sa. Family names are oen an indicaon of ethnicity.

Sulejmanagic, for example, is a Muslim name, as are others

containing such Islamic or Turkish roots as “hadj” or “bey,”

pronounced “beg.” Children receive their father’s last name.

Hence, someone with an Islamic-sounding root in his or her

last name may be presumed to be, at least by heritage, a

Muslim.




Home LifeIn the countryside in Bosnia and Herzegovina, families

usually live in houses of brick, stone, or wood. Tradion-

ally, countryside homes were zadrugas, which were made

up of several families living on a common land. Families

shared the farming responsibilies to lighten the work-

load. Today, you will sll nd a great community atmo-

sphere in small villages and suburban city regions alike.

Many Bosnians are Muslims, and if you plan to visit some-

one’s home during your travels, keep in mind that remov-

ing your shoes is regular pracce in Muslim households.

Slippers are generally provided by the host when you visit

a Bosnian home.


FACTS

Religion

Bosnian Croats make up the majority of Roman Catholics in

Bosnia. Roman Catholicism is the third most popular reli-

gion in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Roughly 15% of the populaon

of Bosnian-Herzegovina are Roman Catholic.

The majority of all Serbian Orthodox followers in Bosnia

Hercegovina are Bosnian Serbs. The Serbian Orthodox reli-

gion makes up 31% of the populaon in Bosnia-Herzegovi-

na. The majority of all Serbian Orthodox followers reside in

the Republic of Sprspka, which is one of two republics that

make up the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Islam is the largest religion in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Islam

was introduced to Bosnia beginning in 1463 when the Oo-

man Turks conquered Bosnia. For over 500 years, the Bos-

nian Muslim populaon developed their own ethnic identy

within Bosnia. Nearly 40% of all Bosnians are Muslims. Themajority of all Bosnian Muslims live in the Federaon of

Bosnia and Herzegovina.




Language

The primary language of Bosnia-Herzegovina is Bosnian,

also called Serbo-Croaan, Serbo-Croat, Serbo-Croat-Bos-

nian, or Bosnian-Croaan-Serbian. It is a pluricentric

language with four mutually intelligible standard variet-

ies. The language goes by dierent names because of the

country’s ethnic dierences and rivalries. People in theMuslim-controlled sector call it Bosnian, those in Croat

areas call it Croaan, and those in Serb areas refer to it as

Serbian.

Bosnian belongs to the Slavic branch of the Indo-Euro-

pean language family and more specically to the group

of South Slavic languages, which includes Bulgarian,

Macedonian, and Slovenian. Bosnian has many borrowed

words from other European languages, English, Turkish,Arabic, and Persian.


FACTS

Flag

The three points of the triangle are understood to stand for

the three constuent peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs. It is also seen to represent the

map of Bosnia and Herzegovina which looks like a triangle.The stars, represenng Europe, are meant to be innite in

number and thus they connue from top to boom. The

ag features colors oen associated with neutrality and

peace – white, blue, and yellow. The colors yellow and blue

are also seen to be taken from the ag of Europe; the color

blue was originally based on the ag of the United Naons.

The present scheme is being used by both the Council of

Europe which owns the ag, and the European Union which

adopted the Council of Europe’s ag in 1985. They are alsocolors tradionally associated with Bosnia.




ADMINISTRATIVE

DIVISIONSBosnia and Herzegovina is administravely divided into two enes: the Federaon of

Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. The Federaon of Bosnia and Her-

zegovina covers 51% of the area of the country, and the Republic of Srpska 49%. The

enes were created in the Dayton Agreement of 1995. Within this division is also the

District of Brčko, which does not belong to either of the enes, but it is a special admin -

istrave unit over which the instuons of Bosnia and Herzegovina have sovereignty.

These enes have a very high degree of autonomy – they have a president, parliament,government and courts. The enes have jurisdicon in the areas of civil administraon,

health and educaon, police department, physical planning and others, while foreign

policy, defense, border monitoring, elecons, foreign trade, scal and monetary polics

and other areas are governed on a state level. The Constuon of these enes has guar-

anteed equality of all three constuent peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In charge of

equality are special enty bodies: the House of Peoples of the Federaon of Bosnia and

Herzegovina and the Council of people of the Republic of Srpska.

With the Washington Agreement, the Federaon of Bosnia and Herzegovina was divid-

ed into 10 cantons /counes within this enty: Unsko-sanski, Posavski, Tuzlanski, Ze-

ničko-dobojski, Bosansko-podrinjski, Srednjobosanski, Hercegovačko-neretvanski, Zapad-

nohercegovački, Canton Sarajevo and Canton 10.

The cantons have a high degree of autonomy; they have their own assembly and gov-

ernment. The government has jurisdicon in the elds of health, educaon, culture and

sport, home aairs, and other areas related to civil administraon.

The nal level of polical division of Bosnia and Herzegovina are the municipalies. The

state consists of 137 municipalies, 74 of which are in the Federaon of Bosnia and Her-

zegovina and 63 in the Republic of Srpska.

Each canton consists of several municipalies. Municipalies are divided into communes.

Besides enes, cantons, and municipalies, Bosnia and Herzegovina also has seven

ocial cies. Those are: Banja Luka, Bihać, Jajce, Mostar, Zenica, Sarajevo and Eastern

Sarajevo.

City of Banja Luka and Mostar are located in the municipalies of the same name, while

Sarajevo and Eastern Sarajevo consist of several municipalies. Tuzla is in the process of

becoming the 8th ocial city of BIH.




PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

1-2 January:

New Year's Day

Public holiday of Bosnia and

Herzegovina

6 January:

Epiphany

Roman Catholic feast

7 January:

Orthodox Christmas

Orthodox feast

9 January:Republic Day

Public holiday of Republic of

Srpska

14 January:

New Year

Orthodox feast

1 March:

Independence day

Public holiday of Federaon

of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moveable day during spring:

Easter



Easter Monday



Easter

Orthodox feast

1-2 May:Labour Day

Public holiday of Bosnia and

Herzegovina

60 days post Easter:

Corpus Chris


9 May:Victory Day


Srpska

15 August:

Assumpon of Mary


Moveable date during

summer (3 days): Eid ul-Fitr

Islamic feast

28 August:

Assumpon of Mary

Orthodox feast

Moveable date during au-

tumn (4 days): Eid ul-Adha

Islamic feast

1 November:

All Saints Day


2 November:All Souls Day


21 November:

Dayton Agreement Day


Srpska

25 November:Statehood Day

Public holiday of Federaon

of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moveable date during

autumn or winter:

IslamicNew Year

Islamic feast

25 December:

Catholic Christmas


26 December:

St. Stephen's Day


Moveable date during win-

ter: Prophet's Anniversary

Islamic feast




Sarajevo’s Bascarsija (Old Town)

The Old Town ‘Bascarsija’ has been a

trading and meeng place since the 15th

century as caravans from Asia minor, Du-

brovnik and the west met here to trade

their stock.

Mostar’s Stari Most (Old Bridge)

The old bridge is perhaps the nest exam-

ple of Ooman ingenuity and Dalmaan

masonry in the western Balkans. It also

symbolizes the crossroads of eastern and

western civilizaons.

Neum - the sunny Adriac

Although its only a ny strip of the gor-

geous Adriac, Neum has become a major

seaside resort.

Medugorje

In the early 1980’s, several teenagers saw

a vision of the Virgin Mary. Since then this

sleepy Herzegovina village has been trans-

formed into one of the largest Catholic

pilgrimages in the world.

Tekija (Blagaj)

This 16th century dervish order monas-

tery was built at the mouth of the largest

source in Herzegovina which gushes from a

cave at the base of a 200-meter cli.

Sutjeska Naonal Park

This park is home to one of Europe’s last

remaining primeval forests in Perucica andto Bosnia’s highest peak (Maglic mountain,

2,386 m).

Kravica Waterfalls

The Trebizat River creates a wonderful

green belt amidst the dry landscape of

western Herzegovina. This stunning water-

fall runs over 100 meters long and drops

an impressive 25 meters.

Travnik

Famous for its Nobel Laureate writer Ivo

Andric, this Ooman town sll best rep-

resents what was once called the Europe-

an Istanbul. This ancient mosque and for-

tress that dot the skyline are as impressive

as the original style of Bosnian architecture

that gives this town its charm. Not far from

Travnik is the mountain ski resort of Vlasic

- a paradise for snowboarders and a great

nature break spot.

Tvrdos Monastery

Trvdos is a 14th century Orthodox monas-

tery near the beauful towns of Trebinje

and Dubrovnik, where you can see several

5th and 6th century icons.

Kraljeva SutjeskaFrom the medieval fortress and Franciscan

monastery to one of the oldest mosques

in the country, this is a wonderfully unique

rural experience rarely found in Europe

today.

Bjelasnica Mountain

It is ideal for cross country and tour skiing,

as well as year round hiking, biking, andvillage tourism in the ancient highland

villages.

ATTRACTIONS




The area that is currently the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina was once part of the

Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire collapsed, the region eventually developed into

the kingdom of Bosnia. In 1463, Bosnia was taken over by the Ooman Turks.

The Turks ruled in Bosnia unl the late 1800s when it became a part of Austria-Hungary.

In 1908, Austria-Hungary ocially annexed Bosnia to become a part of their country.

In 1908, the area of Bosnia-Herzegovina was formally annexed, and the naonalist move-

ment became fervent and urgent. On June 28, 1914, the heir to the Austro-Hungarianthrone, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by a Serbian naonalist named

Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo.

The assassinaon of Archduke Franz Ferdinand

is considered to have been the trigger of World

War I. Aer Princip assassinated the Archduke,

Austria declared war on Serbia. What followed

was an increasingly complicated alliance system

that eventually ignited conict. Russia supportedSerbia aer Austria declared war, and Germany

followed suite by supporng Austria against Ser-

bia. France supported Serbia, prompng Ger-

many to aack France. Aer Germany aacked

France through the Belgium area, England de-

clared war on Germany. Remarkably, all of these

events took place between July 28 and August

14, 1914.

World War I aected the Balkans rather dras-

cally. Croaans chose to ght alongside Germany

and Austro-Hungary, as well as most of the Bos-

nians. Serbs fought with the allies, and aer the

war, a substanal number of Bosnian-Serbs were

forced to leave Bosnia and resele in Montene-

gro and Serbia.

Following World War I, Bosnia and Herzegovina were annexed to Serbia in October of

1918 as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which was later renamed as Yugo-

slavia in 1929. Again, naonalism increased amongst Serbians and Croaans alike. During

this me, Bosnia and Herzegovina faced a period of great oppression, smulated by

HISTORY IN BRIEF

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria




cultural conicts, religious struggle, and general

tension and intolerance.

In 1939, as a result of the Cvetkovic Agreement,

one area in Bosnia was connected with the Ban-

land of Croaa. Germany invaded Yugoslavia in

1941, and Bosnia and Herzegovina became part of

Nazi-controlled Croaa. In November 1943, Bos-

nia and Herzegovina became a single state again.One of the six republics under the leader Marshall

Tito, Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Yu-

goslavian Communist naon.

Aer Tito died in 1980, Yugoslavia weakened.

In December 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina le

Yugoslavia and requested recognion by the Eu-

ropean Union. In March of 1992, the votes were

in, and they supported independence. With a rich

ethnic diversity of Muslims, Serbs, and Croats

(and no true ethnic majority), conict arose quick-

ly between the groups as they aempted to

divide the region.

With both the Serbs and Croats laying claim to the Bosnian region, complicaons devel-

oped. Ethnic cleansing occurred as Muslims were pushed out of the area and Croaans

began developing their own communies in the area.

The war connued unl NATO intervened in August 1995. Approximately 250,000 peopleare believed to have died in this warme period of 1992-1995.

The period from 1995 onwards in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s history marked a serious aempt

to rebuild the economy and create a government the people could trust. While a scandal

erupted in 1999, corrupon marred some aempts to build a stronger Bosnia-Herzegovi -

na.

In 2004, NATO relinquished its peacekeeping mission to the European Union. This under-

taking, the largest peacekeeping operaon for the EU in history, has contributed largely tothe more tolerant and stable climate of the current Bosnia and Herzegovina. Much of the

damage of the war has been repaired, and Bosnia and Herzegovina looks forward to a peri-

od of prosperity.

Josip Broz Tito

HISTORY IN BRIEF




CUISINE

Bosnian cuisine reects inuences from Central Europe, the Balkans, and the Middle East.

Meat dishes of lamb, pork, and beef, typically small sausages called cevapcici (kabobs) or

hamburger paes called pljeskavica are grilled with onions and served on a fresh somun,

a thick pita bread. Cevapcici are made from ground meat and spices that are shaped into

lile cylinders, cooked on an open re and served on an open plaer. Another favorite is

a Bosnian stew called bosanski lonac, which is a slow-roasted mixture of layers of meat

and vegetables eaten with chunks of brown bread. It is usually served in a vase-like ce-

ramic pot. Serbian meat and sh dishes are typically cooked rst, then braised with vege-

tables such as tomatoes and green peppers.

Mediterranean and Middle Eastern inuences are evident in aschinicas (pronounced

ash-chee-neetsa-as), restaurants oering various kinds of cooked meat, lled vegetables

called dolmas, kabobs, and salads, with Greek baklava for dessert. The lling most oen

consists of ground meat, rice, spices, and various kinds of chopped vegetables. Containers

can be hollowed-out peppers, potatoes, or onions. Some dolmas are made from cabbage

leaves, grapevine, kale, or some other leaf large enough and soened enough by cooking

that it can be wrapped around the lile ball made of the lling.

When enough pieces are made, they are stacked in an amphora-shaped tureen that is

then covered with its own lid or with a piece of parchment ghtly ed around its neck.

The dish is then cooked slowly on a low, covered re.

Pita, pastry lled with meat or vegetables, is another disncve Bosnian dish. In other

parts of the former Yugoslavia, meat-lled pitas are called burek. Pita meat pie is oen

the nal course of a meal or is served as a light supper on its own.

Orthodox Bosnians include special dishes in their Easter celebraons. In Orthodox tradi-

on, aer the midnight service, the congregaon walks around the church seven mes

carrying candles, then goes home to a supper that includes hardboiled eggs that have

been dyed and decorated, and Pasca, a round, sweet yeast cake lled with either sour

cream or coage cheese.

Homemade brandy, known as rakija in the former Yugoslavia but exported as slivovitz

(plum brandy) or loza (grape brandy or grapa ), is the liquor of choice for men on most

occasions. Women may prefer fruit juice instead. Popular non-alcoholic beverages, oth-er than fruit juices, include Turkish-style coee (kahva, kafa or kava), a thin yogurt drink

called ker, and a tea known as salep.




• Bosnia most likely takes its name from the Bosna River that runs through it, Herzegovina

from the herceg (duke) who ruled the southern poron of the region unl the 15th-centu-

ry Turkish conquest.

• Located in the Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina has borders with Croaa in the west

and north, Serbia in the east, Montenegro in the southeast, and the Adriac Sea very

close in the southwest, with a small border or Croaa separang the two.

• Bosnia is home to the second largest Catholic Pilgrimage site in Međugorje.

• Majority of the landscape in Bosnia and Herzegovina is mountainous and comprises ofareas of karst (limestone). Bosnia has the largest karst eld in the world, and reportedly

also one of the purest and most abundant sources of groundwater.

• The highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Maglic Mountain (2386 m), in the Sutjes-

ka Naonal Park. It is the oldest naonal park in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Stecak, a medieval tombstone is a religious monument that can be seen throughout the

countryside of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Tuzla city derives its name from the word “tuz”, the Turkish word for salt. Tuzla’s salt

comes from its salt water springs.

• An inter-ethnic war erupted in Bosnia and Herzegovina aer independence, in 1992,

and lasted ll 1995.

• In March 1994, Muslims and Croats in Bosnia signed an agreement creang the Federa-

on of Bosnia and Herzegovina, narrowing the eld of war pares to two.

• Along with a naonal government, Bosnia and Herzegovina has a second er of govern-

ment – the Federaon of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska, which man-

ages internal aairs.

• In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the disncon between a Bosnian and a Herzegovinian is

maintained as a regional, not an ethnic, disncon.

• Bosnia is believed to have been inhabited at least since the Neolithic age.

• Sarajevo, the largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the 1984 Winter Olympic

Games.

• There are over 700,000 visitors who travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina every year. Ac-

cording to the World Tourism Organizaon, the country will have the third highest tourism

growth rate worldwide from 1995 to 2020. Aracons include the city of Sarajevo, histor-

ical sites, naonal parks, dierent landscapes, lakes, and waterfalls.

• Sarajevo was the rst city in Europe to have a city-wide tram service when the Aus-

tro-Hungarians were using the city as a tesng ground for Vienna’s tram system. The same

goes for street lights.

INTERESTING FACTS




Dining ps

If you’re invited into a local’s home, arrive on me with some sweets like baklava or have

a gi for the family’s children if they have any. Dining is not extremely formal aer sing

down; most people, especially in business sengs, eat with the knife in the right hand

and fork in the le. However, some foods are eaten with your hands, and pork is not typ-

ically served since few Bosniaks consume pork products. If in doubt regarding the proper

way to eat a parcular food, watch those around you. Before the main course is served,you will most likely be given a number of meats, cheeses, and other small appezers;

these are simple and tasty, but do not overeat, they are just the starter.

When vising someone privately, in a home seng, it is customary to accept coee, tea,

juice, or a meal as oered. Rejecon might be seen as lack of respect for the host.

If the meal is being accompanied by a beverage, never ll your own glass. Your neighbor

will ll your glass and you are expected to return the favor. As you nish all your food, feel

free to ask for more, this is a compliment to the host. If you’re completely done eang (besure to save some room for dessert), nish all the food on your plate. Oen dessert will

be served and coee or tea is oered, and you are expected to accept them.

If dining out, as the bill comes, the host or inviter should pay for the whole meal. If din -

ing without any locals, summon the waiter or waitress by making eye contact; waving or

calling a server over can be considered rude. In regards to pping a waiter or waitress at

a sit-down restaurant, round up or p about 10% of the bill. Small ps to bartenders are

also appreciated, but not necessary.

Table manners

• Wait to be shown where to sit.

• Table manners are Connental, i.e. the fork is held in the le

hand and the knife in the right while eang.

• At formal meals, the napkin is unfolded and placed on your lap.

• Do not begin eang unl the host signals to begin.

• Refusing second helpings inially is polite. Aer the host insists

you should take more.• Leaving a small amount of food on your plate indicates that you

are nished eang.

IMPORTANT TIPS




IMPORTANT TIPS

Meeng and greeng• Greengs on inial meengs will tend to

be formal and reserved.

• A handshake, direct eye contact and the

appropriate greeng for the me of day are

standard.

• “Dobro jutro” (good morning), “dobro

dan” (good day), and “dobro veèer” (good

evening).

• Address people with their honoric tles

plus surname. If you are unsure of tles

then use “Gospodin” for Mr, “Gospodja” for

Mrs and “Gospodice” for Miss.

• Only close friends and family members

tend to use rst names. Never jump to rst

names terms without being invited to.

• Close friends may greet each other withan embrace and a kiss on each cheek.

Again, wait unl the Croaan iniates this

form of greeng.

• At social gatherings hosts introduce

guests, usually starng with the women

and then moving on to the men in a rough

approximaon of age order, oldest to

youngest.

ConversaonHumour is always welcome, but it will de-

pend on the person you meet. When meet-

ing someone for the rst me, never dis-

cuss topics regarding religion or naonality.

It may oend other people. Humour about

marriage, mother-in-laws or policians is

socially acceptable.

Since the country has three ocial languag-

es (Serbian, Bosnian and Croaan) it is best

to refer to the language of the country as

the “local” language. It is oensive to at-

tach the language of another ethnicity to

someone who is not of that ethnicity.

It is beer not to compliment someone on

a piece of jewellery, or on a similar type of

possession, as the person owning it may

choose to give it to the admirer.

Direct eye contact is expected and appreci-

ated. It is mandatory when toasng.

Topics to Discuss: Bosnian landmarks, in-

vestment and development opportunies,

tourist areas, heritage, cultural dierences

and customs.

Family, work, sports, music, entertainment,

children, local cultural events, good restau-

rants, and the weather are always good

topics when meeng someone on a private

basis. Business contacts are more formal.

Gi Giving• Gis are generally opened when received.

• If invited to someone’s house, bring ow-

ers for the hostess. The host may be given a

box of chocolates or a bole of good wine.

• Do not give chrysanthemums as they are

used at funerals and for gravestones.

• When giving owers, make sure there are

an odd number of stems.

• Gis are generally opened when received.

Gis to avoid: alcohol, anything containingpork or pig skin, chrysanthemums (used at

funerals).




Business in Croaa is formal and consequently ini-

ally reserved. Once a relaonship develops, this will

change. Inially:

• Shake hands with eye contact and a smile.

• Wait for a woman to extend her hand rst.

• Greet the person with the appropriate salutaon

for the me of day.

• Use professional business tles.

• Business cards are exchanged without formal ritual.

• Include tles and professional qualicaons on

business cards.

• Although not absolutely necessary, having one side

of your business card translated into Croaan shows

some thought.

Communicaon Style

Direct and straighorward talk is valued in Croaa;

however, there is also an emphasis on choosing your

words correctly and being diplomac so as not to upset anyone. The level of the rela-

onship will usually determine how direct someone can be. For newly established rela-

onships, diplomacy is important, so you may nd people are not always willing to speak

their minds.

Business Meengs

Meeng schedules are not very rigid in Croaa. There may be an agenda, but it serves

more as a guideline for the discussion than anything else.

• Be prepared for lengthy meengs. People may go o on tangents, andme is never a

factor in bringing a meeng to a close.

• There may be some small talk at the beginning of meengs. This will become more im -

portant as the relaonship develops. Never jump straight into business as this may come

across as rude.

• Inially at least, be sure to temper your communicaon style if you are used to beingquite direct. Building the relaonship is inially more important and should be focused

upon.

BUSINESS ETIQUETTE




DOS AND DON’TS

• Taking shoes o when inside someone’s

home is considered a norm. Having shoes

on signies lack of hygienic manners and

disrespect.

• Please avoid the issue of the Bosnian Civil

War, the dissoluon of Yugoslavia and eth-

nic/naonal/religious dierences.

• Never bring up the Republic of Yugosla-

via, Communism, the Tito era, the Kingdom

of Serbia years, the Ustashe regime (Cro-

aan Naonalism) or Slobodan Milosevic

(Serbian Naonalism). Bosnian and Herze-

govinians have been in Yugoslavia only a

couple of decades, and as such they do not

like to be called Yugoslavs, former Yugo-

slavs, and especially Eastern Europeans.

The country lies in Southern Europe.

• Be social and open, Bosnians are, as a

rule, very social and love chitchats and

meeng up for a cup of coee. As the rest

of the populaon on the Balkan peninsula,

they are considered a complete opposite of

Scandinavians when it comes to socializing.

• Like the rest of the western Balkans, thelocal Parzan army resistance brought an

end to World War II in the territories. If you

are coming from one of the Allied countries

or Russia, try not to bring up the subject of

“we liberated you”.

• Furthermore, do not carelessly display

two or three ngers out in public or in

front of a crowd. They are incendiary and

insulng to a certain group of people, and

they also symbolize religious views of the

trinity, and the historic animosies be-

tween the three groups of people living in

the country: Bosnian Serbs (mostly Eastern

Orthodoxs), Bosnian Croats (mostly Roman

Catholics) and Bosnians/Bosniaks, who are

mostly Muslims.

• Do not bring up religious subjects that

might insult one of the religious groups in

the country. Bosnians, although very sec-

ular, are quite educated when it comes toall major religions, and holding a religious

discussion without having much insight in

the maer might turn out tougher than

expected.

• No maer how large the city you come

from, do not forget that they had electric

trams and trolleys well before the rest of

Europe and a major part of the world. Theyoer unmatched hospitality, but expect you

to be civil and respecul.

• Don’t drink without limits, although

fermenng local kind of fruit brandy called

Rakija is considered a naonal sport, drink-

ing and “fooling around” in public is consid-

ered rude and disrespecul. Drink freely,

but keep you dignity.

• If someone oers to buy you a round of

drinks or paying for lunch, don’t decline

but take it and be thankful. You are gener-

ally not expected to return the round, it is

a way for them to show you that they like

you as a person or that they respect you.

You will never see locals asking for separate

bills in restaurants or bars, they take care of

the enre bill without caring who paid less

or drank more.




People of Bosnia and Herzegovina are very sociable and hospitable. Curiosity oen

makes them overly straight-forward when encountering newcomers. It is culturally ap-

propriate to ask personal quesons, such as “Where are you from?”, “Are you married?”,

“Do you have children?”, “What do you do for a living?”

Body languagePeople of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not

pay too much aenon to personal space.

Too much personal space can be viewed as

distrust or an authoritarian way of dealing

with people.

Facial expressions are very important and itis customary to have a friendly face all the

me.

Eye contact is important and implies hones-

ty and good intenons. It is especially im-

portant to make eye contact when raising a

drink for a toast.

At mes, you might nd it dicult to main-tain regular eye contact, as “stereo” talking

is common (two or three people talking at

the same me).

Touching is very uncommon when meeng

someone for the rst me. However, shak-

ing hands with both men and women when

greeng the person is customary. Men gen-

erally do not touch other men unless they

know each other very well, or are relaves.

Friends are more likely to hug each otherand kiss each other on the cheek (Bosniacs

and Croats kiss twice, Serbs three mes).

Taboos“First three ngers erect” should be avoid-

ed at all mes within Bosniac and Croat

Federaon territory; it is a sign of victory

welcomed only within Serbian territories. In

addion, raising he middle nger, waiving apointed index nger and poinng at some-

one is considered extremely rude.

PEOPLE IN BIH




SOCIETY

Gender It is a man’s world, with full respect for

a successful woman. Generally speaking,

it is harder for a woman to build a career.

Women residing within cies have a beer

status than ones in villages. Because of

the internaonal presence over the last six

years, there has been more aenon paid

to the concept of gender equality. Howev-

er, for the most part, it is sll the woman

who looks aer the household. Howeer,

there seems to be some tendency to share

the task of raising children.

EthnicityEthnicity was always seen as a religion,

and it is linked to the geographical loca-

on and enty you belong to. Nowadays,it is more important than ever, as people

are sll adjusng to and digesng the

outcomes of events during the 1992-1996

period, although it is less important in

mixed areas.

Ethnicity is the most dominant issue in BiH

since the war, and it is an underlying factor

in almost all interacons. It is easy to tellfrom people’s names what ethnicity they

are. This can aect whether someone gets

a job, whether s/he is accepted in a com-

munity, is eligible for benets, etc.

The most relevant factors in the work

place are ethnicity, level of educaon

(class), and gender. Religion is ed in with

ethnicity, which is the overall determinant

of a person’s acceptability in the work-

place, and this even in an internaonal

organizaon.

Hierarchy and Decision-makingDecisions are usually made by the person

in charge. This may or may not include

consulng the sta for their input, al-

though in general people in BiH are not

used to being asked what they think about

an issue. However, with the large presence

of the internaonal community over the

last decade, this is changing. Younger peo-

ple, and even more so if they have worked

with internaonals for a while, may now

expect to be consulted on maers that

concern them.

Dress, Punctuality & FormalityPeople tend to judge others based on their

dress. It will highly depend on the part

of the country you are in. In urban areas,dressing style can be less formal, whereas

in the countryside your image will depend

on it. Dress code is very casual for sta

members, and workplaces are more insis-

tent on business are for management.

During summer months, women tend to

dress more fashionably and, during winter

months, more conservavely and prac-

cally.

Communicaon with sta is welcomed on

a rst-name basis. However, higher man-

agement expects to be addressed by using

Mr. or Mrs. with the last name on the rst

occasion, or unl told otherwise. The clos-

er to sta/management you are, it is more

common to use rst name in everyday

communicaon.




CORPORATE CULTURE

Behavior

• Avoid holding up the thumb, index andmiddle nger at the same me, even when

ordering three of something. This is a sign

of Serbian naonalism.

• Poinng a nger directly at someone or

waving a nger is considered rude.

• Punctuality is expected and appreciated

in business sengs.

• Serbs and Croats will commonly drink

strong liquor before meals at various mesof day. Muslim Bosniacs, however, do not

drink alcohol.

Meengs and Negoaons• Greengs will vary depending on the

ethnicity of the individual.

• More conservave Bosniac women may

not shake hands with men.

• Be sure to use appropriate business -

tles, such as “Gospodin” for Mr. and “Gos-

poja” for Mrs.

• Generally, a rm handshake is combined

with a greeng for the appropriate me ofday. “Dobar Dan” is the most formal greet-

ing, meaning “good day.”

• Muslims may somemes also use the

Persian greeng “Salam” for hello.

• An arms length of personal space is most

common when rst meeng.

Business Are

• Men will generally wear darker suitswith conservave es. Strong colognes are

common.

• Aer suering years of war and poverty,

it is common to see styles that are some-

what outdated.

• Women will wear conservave, dark-col-

ored business suits with few accessories.

• More conservave Muslim women may

also wear a head scarf; however, this israre in business sengs.

Formality is usually very

important at inial business

meengs, and it will general -

ly be thoroughly maintained

unl a closer relaonshipand trust is established.




Veronica Gelfgren

Yulia Bazyukina

Marja-Liisa Helenius

Research

Research, layout

Proofreading

Learnmera Oy

Country Profile Bosnia and Herzegovina Learnmera English

Documents

Transcript of Country Profile Bosnia and Herzegovina Learnmera English