Croatia's EU membership spells trouble for Bosnia's farmers | Europe | DW.DE | 30.05.2013

Croatia is set to join the EU in July, but when it does, neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina will lose its main market for its farming exports. And without it, the country’s already fragile economy may falter. 

In the hills of Visoko, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) outside of Sarajevo, Nihad Dokso works on one of the three farms he owns in Bosnia. He raises 100,000 chicks every 40 days using state-of-the-art technology that' relatively new to the region.

The chicks are housed in a long and spacious barn, and are fed by a mechanized system that also warms and ventilates the space. Dokso sells the grown chickens to a nearby slaughterhouse, which manages their export to neighboring Croatia.

He's invested about 600,000 euros ($777, 800) in his business and employs five people. So far, the farm has provided Dokso with a good standard of living, but he's worried about what will happen when Croatia becomes the newest member of the European Union in July.

"If we're not able to export food to Croatia, then we'll shut down the farm because we don't have anyone else to sell to," he told DW. "We don't yet have reliable information about what the government is doing about this issue. But if no solution is found by July, it will be a difficult time for chicken farmers."

Read more: Croatia's EU membership spells trouble for Bosnia's farmers | Europe | DW.DE | 30.05.2013