About us

Chambers Investment Forum

The WB6 CIF is a joint initiative of chambers of commerce and industry from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, that established a platform of cooperation in 2017 with the aim to provide a joint voice to the business community in the region and to facilitate inter-business contacts and promote the region as one investment destination.

The WB6 CIF represents around 350,000 companies from the Western Balkans in its mission to open new opportunities for stronger networking, remove the remaining obstacles to the development of regional economic cooperation and improve business and investment climate in the markets of the Western Balkans region.

WB6 CIF advocates for more economically integrated on the path of EU accession, through the free movement of goods/services throughout the region to cut costs and make goods and services more competitive on the global market. It also actively promotes the WB6 region as a single investment destination.

WB6 Chamber Investment Forum, created in the framework of the Berlin Process, is active in:

• Supporting economic development of the SEE
• Supporting competitiveness of local and regional economy with a special focus on empowering small and medium-sized enterprises
• Advocating for improved local and regional investment climate and promoting the region as one investment destination
• Pooling resources, both human and institutional in the fields of business support, research and innovation, education and communication

WB6 CIF partners with key stakeholders in the region and is supported by the European Commission, EBRD, regional organizations such as Regional Cooperation Council, CEFTA, other business associations and organizations such as EUROCHAMBERS, WKO-Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce-DIHK, and many more.

In order to enlarge the platform of regional economic cooperation, CIF has joined efforts with similar initiatives in the region such as the regional business initiative - SUMMIT100 Business Leaders of SEE, SEECEL, etc.

Permanent Secretariat of the Western Balkans 6 Chamber Investment Forum

In early 2017, chambers of commerce and industry from the Western Balkans 6 (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) have decided to establish the WB6 CIF Permanent Secretariat, as a professional entity headquartered in Trieste, Italy. Its inauguration was held on 12 July 2017.

Secretariat is a professional entity led by Safet Gerxhaliu, Secretary-General.

Work of the Secretariat is governed by the Managing Board of CIF WB6 consisting of presidents of member Chambers of Commerce. Current President of the Managing Board is Marko Čadež, President of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Serbia (mandate of four years started in 2017).

For more information on the WB6 CIF and its activities, please visit https://www.wb6cif.eu/

The work of the WB6 CIF Permanent Secretariat is institutionally supported by the EBRD.