DDOR NOVI SAD at “Business Investment Days”

DDOR NOVI SAD and 300 companies from 20 countries – participants at “Business Investment Days”

Belgrade, 21-22 September 2015

The forum presented the projects whose realization requires foreign investments, which are much needed for increasing the economic growth.
The goal of this forum was to present investment potential of Belgrade and Serbia.

This forum, which is a unique platform that connects international investors and attractive projects in Serbia and Southeast Europe, was opened by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić. Those in attendance were also greeted by Željko Sertić, Minister of Economy, Tony Verheijen, the World Bank Country Manager for Serbia, Michael Davenport, Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, and Siniša Mali, Mayor of Belgrade.

Topics discussed at this forum included direct foreign investments through greenfield, brownfield, and privatization; investments in infrastructure; public-private partnerships; investments in development of small and medium enterprises, etc. Also presented were the projects from the field of energy, ecology, and renewable energy sources.

Some of the panels held were – “Serbia and the new wave of investments”, “Investment potentials of the City of Belgrade”, “Final phase of privatisation in Serbia”, and “Investment potentials of cities and municipalities” where Dr Giorgio Marchegiani, General Director of “DDOR Novi Sad” was one of the lecturers.

One of important conclusions of the forum is that the economic growth in Serbia requires sizeable foreign investments. The speed of economic growth depends on the speed at which potential investments are realized. In the course of 2014, Serbia received 1.2 billion euros of direct foreign investments. After the calculation for the first seven months of the current year, this number seems to be an unattainable goal. Namely, in the first seven months of 2015, Serbia received approx. 700 million euros of direct foreign investments.

It is precisely this forum that will decide whether this balance will change by the end of this year, when definite business agreements should be arranged.

Arranging public finances and adopting reform laws is a serious step towards the improvement of business environment and is recognized as such by foreign investors, participants of the Belgrade investment forum.

“Belgrade Investment Days” Investment forum was jointly organized by the Assembly of the City of Belgrade, Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, and CEDEF.