Mutually Beneficial Cooperation
GEORGIOS PAPANASTASIOU
PRESIDENT, HELLENIC BUSINESS ASSOCIATION IN SERBIA (HBA)
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One of the priorities of the HBA will be to lobby actively for Serbia as an ideal destination to attract new Greek investments, which will be beneficial for both Greece and the Serbian economy
hat we will certainly work on with the most dedication is increasing the number of members of the Hellenic Business Association and strengthening ties between them, as well as further strengthening relations between the Association and state institutions. We also insisted on this in the previous period. At the same time, we also have the ambitions aimed at achieving better and stronger economic relations between the two countries. Our priorities also include greater visibility of the Association’s activities in the media, as well as actively lobbying for Serbia as an ideal destination to attract new Greek investments, which will be beneficial for both Greece and Serbia. We also hope to play a more active advisory role in Serbia’s efforts to join the EU, as well as in its efforts to harmonise local legislation with appropriate European Union regulations. Cooperation with the business associations of other countries in Serbia was intensified significantly in 2016 compared to the previous period. Organising “speed meetings” proved to be a very good form for meeting and establishing cooperation. We organised such meetings with the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, AmCham, the Slovenian Business Club and the Nordic Business Alliance, while with the Chamber of Italian-Serbian businesspeople and the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce we organised networking receptions. I would particularly highlight the B2B meetings organised by the Hellenic Business Association of Serbia, the Department for Economic and Trade Affairs of the Greek Embassy in Belgrade and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia, entitled “Open Doors Day for Greece – Possibilities of bilateral cooperation”, at which opportunities for bilateral business cooperation were presented and which included the participation of 40 Greek and more than 100 Serbian companies. The most recent in the series of activities in this field was the Business Women’s Lunch, which was organised in cooperation with various chambers of commerce of European countries. I see the establishing of the Council of Mixed Chambers as an excellent move when it comes to bringing together and connecting the international business community in Serbia with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia, as an umbrella organisation. I expect the Council to primarily be a link between foreign companies operating in Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Serbia and its ministries, all with the aim of improving business environment. I see this as an ideal tool for constructive dialogue, which on the one hand means familiarising members of the Council with new laws that are being prepared and which relate to daily operations, and feedback on the challenges that foreign companies face in pursuing their business in Serbia, in terms of economic and legal processes, on the other hand.
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Mixed Council Should Represent a Truly Open Forum
DR GIORGIO AMBROGIO MARCHEGIANI
PRESIDENT, ITALIAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (ISCC)
As Serbia is progressing in the process of preparing to enter the EU, in 2017 we expect further growth in bilateral economic cooperation between the two countries
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s a consequence of growth, we expect some increase in the business activity between
Italy and Serbia, and some increase in our activity. The ISCC’s mission is to support bilateral economic relations between the two countries. Serbia has been, and remains, in the focus of Italian investors’ interest. We also observe increasing interest among Serbian companies in expanding their relationship with the Italian market, both as suppliers to local manufacturers or distributors to consumers. In both cases, the ISCC can support them with a wealth of contacts and experience. In order to be effective, the ISCC will focus on fewer “core” activities. In fact, in pursuing this ambition of developing relations between Italy and Serbia there is a risk of running after every idea. The focus will be on direct support to the business and commercial activities of our current members, Serbian and Italian companies and institutions. Then we aim to enlarge the membership base and include institutions located across the whole country, and not only in the more traditional development areas. Even before the formation of this Council, we have been cooperating for a long time with many mixed chambers operating in Serbia through a number of joint initiatives. The recently established Council of Mixed Chambers represents a very interesting opportunity to talk with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia and the Serbian Government in a more coordinated way. We expect a positive contribution, but we also know that we will need to contribute to that body ourselves. I hope this Council will really be managed with the aim of representing a truly open forum to discuss and make certain new pieces of legislation more suitable for our companies. However, it must also be noted that the ISCC will continue to build its bilateral relations with the other mixed chambers, as they reflect broader relationships that exist between our countries, as well as some excellent personal relationships among the respective representatives in Serbia.
Expertise – The Basis of Success
GORAN KOVAČEVIĆ
CHAIRMAN OF THE MANAGEMENT BOARD, NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (NALED)
NALED has had stable and clearly defined goals for many years, which resulted in us step-bystep forming a serious group of experts with adequate resources as a precondition for successfully resolving identified problems