POTKOZARJE REGION (BiH): BETWEEN NODAL-FUNCTIONAL AND STATISTICAL REGION

In this paper emphasis is placed on the regional structure of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter referred to as BiH). It is complex and reflects on the creation of different regional identities, but also on the field of economic development. Like other Western Balkan countries, BiH is leading a policy of approaching European integration, but it does it slowly and inefficiently [11]. This is influenced by a wide range of reasons, especially geographically, so its regional structure needs to be analyzed. This will enable you to know the real economic and geographical differences that exist between individual regions. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to abandon the concept of the existing physiognomic or economic-geographical regions because they do not reflect the real dynamics of major social changes and do not enable a good view of the perspective of the future economic and geographical development of Bosnia and Herzegovina ([7], [12], [14]). Within the European framework, the generally accepted framework for measuring economic development indicators, as well as the planning process and regional policy, became statistical regions of different hierarchical levels ([6], [10]), and in BiH, their formations have not yet been institutionalized. The aim of this paper is based on the creation and detailed description of a statistical region in the Republic of Srpska as an introduction to the process that will be set up as an imperative for BiH on the road to EU accession. This is the basis for the starting hypothesis of the importance of creating clear indicators of the achieved level of regional development, at the level of BiH and its entities, as an instrument for creating a clear regional policy and planning process.