The project team from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Banja Luka, which is implementing the “Accelerating Progress in Tobacco Taxation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries” project—led by Johns Hopkins University (USA) and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies—marked World No Tobacco Day. On this occasion, June 2, 2025, in collaboration with the PROI Association, a forum entitled “Public Health as a Political Priority” was held at the Olympic Museum in Sarajevo. Numerous representatives from governmental and non-governmental sectors, the academic community, and international organizations attended the event.
During the forum, two panels took place: “Tobacco Control at the Public Policy Level,” which examined measures to improve the legislative framework and eradicate the illicit tobacco trade; and “Health Economics through the Lens of Tobacco Control in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” which presented research findings on cigarette affordability in BiH and the impact of tax policies on tobacco consumption—and, by extension, public health. Professor Dragan Gligorić, PhD, head of the research team at the Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka, presented results from several years of project-related studies, as well as the most recent research on cigarette affordability in BiH. His findings indicate a rising trend in affordability since specific excise tax increases on tobacco were halted in 2019.
On this occasion, the Faculty of Economics’ project team reaffirmed the necessity of raising the specific excise tax on tobacco as the most effective policy to reduce consumption and as a means to increase tax revenues from tobacco products. Alongside excise increases, Professor Gligorić emphasized the need to implement additional tobacco control measures, noting that only a comprehensive approach and coordinated action among all relevant stakeholders can successfully combat the smoking epidemic in BiH.
The Faculty of Economics at the University of Banja Luka is part of a regional network of researchers focusing on tobacco taxation in Southeast Europe. Under the “Economics for Health” program—now based at Johns Hopkins University (formerly at the University of Illinois at Chicago, UIC)—it conducts economic research on tobacco taxation in BiH. Johns Hopkins University is a partner of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. The views expressed in this document cannot be attributed to, nor do they represent, the views of JHU, UIC, or Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Gallery
