INTERVIEW
Satisfied Investors Are The Best Partners For Growth YANA MIKHAILOVA President of the Foreign Investors Council and Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic
The FIC contributes to improving the business climate in Serbia and targets working more efficiently, together with the Government, on the common goal of making Serbia the optimal investment destination, appealing both for new and existing foreign investors
T
he Foreign Investors Council is looking forward to continuing the dialogue with the Serbian government and, through qualitative discussion, speeding up the reform process for the benefit of all stakeholders, says Yana Mikhailova, FIC President and Regional Director of Nestlé Adriatic. ► What steps should the government take in order to ensure stable and robust economic growth over the longer term? – Our expectations are centred on three major areas: acceleration of important structural reforms, better law enforcement, and harmonisation with EU regulations. Let me elaborate on each of them. First, structural reforms make the market more competitive and foster economic growth – that’s why the
acceleration of structural reforms is a good sign for the business community in the country and for investors who plan to enter. The privatisation and corporatisation of state-owned enterprises are important steps on that path. Second, we have seen a few positive moves in the development of the regulatory framework, now there is an urgent need for further progress in alignment of the laws and bylaws, consistent implementation of legislation at the level of all stakeholders and improvement of the efficiency, capacity and capability of governmental structures. As a few examples the Law on Inspections should be followed up with the fully functioning Coordination Body and the formation of the Council for Risk Analysis. In the tax area, we need better coordination between the Ministry of Finance and Tax Administration and Tax Administration reform. We are looking forward to the quick implementation of the new Law on Land Conversion, which will
18 FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL IN SERBIA THE VIEW ON 2016/17