The management has warned that the company, due to the failure to adopt temporary protective measures on the import of steel and steel products in the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the complete absence of an institutional response in recent days, is forced to begin preparations for the suspension of integrated production.

"We are ready to offer a portion of the ownership stake to the state to protect jobs"

Considering the fact that the Government of the Federation of BiH is a co-owner of the company with an 8 percent stake, the Management believes that the involvement and response of the Government of the Federation of BiH is crucial at this moment.

"Aware of the possible distrust towards private capital and our activities, the Management expresses readiness to offer a portion of the ownership stake to the Government of the Federation of BiH, so that the state interest is further strengthened and prerequisites are created for the adoption and implementation of measures to protect jobs in Nova Željezara Zenica and in more than 550 related companies employing over 11,000 workers. We expect feedback from the Government of the Federation of BiH by Wednesday, April 8, 2026," they stated.

Preparations begin for the safe suspension of integrated production: Blast Furnace, Agglomeration, and Steel Plant

Due to limited raw material supplies and extremely difficult liquidity, production will be able to continue at the latest until the period of April 20–25, 2026, after which the operation of the Blast Furnace will be suspended, followed by the Agglomeration and the Steel Plant.

The suspension of operations at these three production facilities will be carried out with the highest safety standards, without risk to workers, property, or the environment.

"Continuing operations after that date would lead to complete illiquidity, would be contrary to the Law on Financial Operations of the Federation of BiH, would represent a breach of obligations during the previous procedure for a potential bankruptcy, and would endanger the safety of people, equipment, and processes. Furthermore, in accordance with the decision of the Municipal Court in Zenica, a temporary bankruptcy trustee has been appointed in the company, who oversees the legality of actions, particularly regarding the prohibition of assuming obligations that cannot be fulfilled," states the letter from Nova Željezara Zenica.

They emphasize that restarting the Blast Furnace is technically possible within a maximum period of seven days. If the state proposes a solution in the coming days, they stated that the Management is ready for urgent talks.

If a complete production shutdown occurs at the end of April, it will mean the end of steel production in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The factory is not closing

The company, they say, has always been socially conscious, and in that context, it will make every effort to ensure a new business model while preserving jobs in accordance with the financial situation and legal constraints.

Consequently, there will be reorganization and a possible reduction in the number of employees, which applies to both directly and indirectly employed individuals.

Why this happened—five months of warnings without a response

The Management reminds that the request for the protection of domestic steel production has been ongoing for five months, with the participation of the Government of the Federation of BiH, the Government of the Republika Srpska, the Government of the Brčko District, the Chambers of Commerce of the Federation of BiH and the Republika Srpska, the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH, the Indirect Taxation Authority of BiH, and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH.

All the mentioned institutions have provided positive opinions. Despite this, the Council of Ministers of BiH rejected the Regulation in both rounds of voting on March 13 and 23.

After a peaceful gathering of over 500 workers in Sarajevo, no one addressed the workers.

"At the urgent meeting 'What next?' only a few institutions responded. The letter to the High Representative dated March 26 remained unanswered. There was also no feedback on the inquiry regarding the status of the Initiative of the Government of the Federation of BiH to organize a thematic session of the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH on April 2, 2026. The real question is whether the state wants to preserve steel production in BiH?" they state in the letter.

The Management of Nova Željezara Zenica emphasizes that it will continue production as long as raw materials exist and will initiate the process of a safe production shutdown if institutions do not respond in the coming days.

Furthermore, the Management stated at the end that if the state allows steel production in Bosnia and Herzegovina to stop, the responsibility for such a decision lies solely with those who had the opportunity to react but did not.

"Nova Željezara Zenica remains open for urgent talks with all levels of government and expects a clear, concrete, and urgent response from institutions. Preserving steel production in Zenica is not a question of one company but a question of strategic interest for the Federation of BiH and the entire state. Shutting down integrated production would have unforeseeable economic and social consequences, including a chain loss of jobs in dozens of industries, energy, mining, transport, and service sectors," they concluded.