CAPÍTULO 2. CAMPO POLÍTICO Y ACTORES DEL FRENTE NACIONAL (1958-1974)
2.4 Los agentes del Frente Nacional
2.4.1 Los arquitectos y defensores del Frente Nacional
livestock production regions in the Western Balkan. Reviving the capacity of slaughter and meat processing enterprises is expected to contribute stabilizing production and to further development of the sector.
In terms of development and poverty level, the Croatian sub-area is the penultimate of all Croatian districts, according to the Croatian Development index32 on regional competitiveness. The highest level reached in the region for this index is 71% in Ilok.
The most important sectors identified in local development strategies are intensive agriculture production, food processing (sugar, dairy, oil and biofuels – see box below – fruit and vegetables processing) and SMEs sector. In addition to these sectors, construction and timber industry are also important in Croatia, while BiH (Brčko and Lopare), metal industry has some propsects. Production and processing of leather is very important as well as manufacture of footwear, accessories, clothing, etc.
The region has large areas of forest, particularly with the oak tree, this is why wood industry is a most prominent and well developed sector
"Victoria oil" AD is the first and so far the only plant for biodiesel in Southeast Europe. The total value of these investments is around 20 million euro, which makes it the biggest investment project in the country. The plants (which rely on the German Lurgi technology) reach an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons of biodiesel. The protection and preservation of the environment were some of the key factors in selecting the appropriate equipment
32 Development index in Croatia includes indicators as follows: income per capita, unemployment rate, income of public budget, population trends, and education rate. There are 5 groups of units (municipalities, cities, counties): I. Group= below 75% of Croatian average, II. Group= 75-100% of Croatian average, III. Group= 100%- 125% of Croatian average, IV. Group= above 125% of Croatian average
and technology in the preparation of the plant to produce biodiesel. The special quality of this refinery is that it ensures the production of biodiesel that meets the European quality standard EN 14 214.
http://www.victoriaoil.rs/index.php?cid=10 &sid=21&stid=24&lang=rs
Concerning the tourism industry, the region is characterised by a poor use of opportunities such as fishing, hunting, cultural tourism, nautical and recreational activities. Accommodation facilities are present in insufficient quantity and, for the existing ones, their quality is inadequate and requires substantial investment in existing buildings in order to meet modern quality standards.
v. Social and human Capital
Data on the population numbers are quite outdated, and do not accurately reflect changes caused by the war. As shown in table 30 above, the region is charcterised by negative natural change, particularly strong on the Croatian and Bosnian sides (between -1 and -10% per year), less on the Serbian side (negative but over -1% per year). Gender balance is degraded, as demographic statistics indicate that male population prevails from 10% (Nijemci) to 19% (Gunja and Šabac) with respect to female population. In terms of age structure, most of the area is charcterised by a reasonably high dependence ratio33 around 0.5 (between 0.46 and 0.60 depending on the municipalities) and a rather low age ratio34 (between 1.0 and 1.2), with two Bosnian municpalities showing a much larger group of young people (Bijeljina and Lopare) and therefore a higher dependence ratio. Compared with the general situation in the Western Balkans region, dependence and aging ratios in the region of the Drina-Sava are somewhat better.
33 The dependence ratio is calculated as follows: Population below 15 and over 65 / age groups 15-64
34 The age ratio is the ratio between the age group < 15 and the age group over 65
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For historical reasons, the border areas contain one of the most ethnically diverse populations in Europe. The ethnic diversity of the population is the largest in municipalities Ilok, Gunja, and Sid, where 1/3 to 1/4 of the populations are ethnic minorities. The Roma population is represented in the Bosnian part of the region and the municipalities of Šabac and Loznica.
Civil Society Organizations (CSO’s) in Bosnia have focused on humanitarian work (Bijeljina), and cultural activities (Ugljevik). In other municipalities CSO’s focus on sports associations. The most developed network of civil organizations is present in the Croatian municipalities in which the activity of CSOs is based on tradition and cultural identity. Some CSO’s in the region appear to have very good experience in the access to funds from the state budget and international organizations (donors). Some funding is provided partly from the pre- accession EU funds.
The entrepreneurial potential of local population is based on a long tradition, especially in Serbian part of the region. On the Croatian side, there are registered SMEs (Ilok, Lovas), but most of them are businesses with just one employee.
vi. Institutional Capital
There are large administrative centres in the region and a number of institutions for development support, fund raising and banking, including the government and regional agencies on the local level with varying degree of success rates in their performance. The region, despite its negative demographic trend has a relatively developed business sector, mainly in terms of SMEs which tend to be the focus of development agencies in the region.
Key Characteristics
• Similarity in economic structure dominated by agribusiness, chemical industry and trade. Strong presence of grey economy,
• Proximity to attractive markets (large urban centres),
• Flat and fertile agricultural land - cereals and industrial crops represent the most common crops, while pig meat is the most relevant in livestock production,
• There are several local products (kulen – salami), but without any official brand because of the lack of standardized production and managerial and marketing initiatives,
• Good connection with the main European transport corridors (roads, train, possibilities for river transport),
• Diversity of ethnic groups (existence of more than 20 ethnic groups in the region),
• Out migrations and negative demographic trends, devastated property, mined areas and social issues caused by the war
• Proximity of Universities and R&D capacities next to urban centres,
• Environmental issues are a major threat for development: in particular, unsolved problems of trash and water sewage treatment,
• Lack of joint spatial planning policies and property related ownership issues may result in delaying the implementation of infrastructure projects.
Development Opportunities
• A positive regional identity and future regional development assistance could encourage economic and social development targeted at keeping - and attracting - young people in the area;
• There are strong possibilities for development or re-building of cultural and economic