In the past two years, Diplomacy&Commerce magazine has given to its readers abundance of news from politics, business and culture, has reported on the opinions of relevant stakeholders both from Serbia and abroad, covering all segments of life, and opened up topics that were not written or talked about enough. With its latest issue, Diplomacy&Commerce is celebrating its second anniversary in Serbia. We are very proud of the fact that, in two years and 24 issues, we have managed to interview the leaders of the Serbian political, business and diplomatic community, as well as the renowned regional and the global public figures. In these past 24 issues, we have also published special supplements dedicated to overall relations between Serbia and European and world countries.
We have asked Serbian officials – Serbian PM, government ministers, ambassadors and representatives of business associations in Serbia – to give us their opinions about the most important changes that Serbia should make in order to become an EU member, and about the investment climate in the West Balkan region.
1. What do you think are essentially the most important changes that Serbia should make in order to be ready for EU membership by 2025?
2. Do Serbia and the Western Balkans have enough capacity to attract large multi-nation companies to their markets?
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Serbia has made substantial progress in the EU accession efforts, and has launched initiatives with the aim of building up all segments of the society to reach the levels that joining the EU requires. The EU officials have confirmed this quite clearly in their statements, while the progress is evident in everyday life in Serbia too. This also entails an initiative on the part of our state leadership to permanently resolve the issue of Kosovo and Metohija as the key issue firstly for the future of our people and our country, and secondly for the country’s accession into the EU. The initiative also entails an internal dialogue and intense international activity, which, I believe, will lead to a lasting solution, thus contributing to regional stability as the crucial prerequisite for the overall prosperity of the entire region.
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The experiences from the last few years confirm that Serbia has capacities for this, as evidenced by the continuous arrival of large foreign companies in our country and the constant growth of FDI which value reached 2.6 billion EUR last year. In terms of the region, its capacities are indisputable, but their utilization will depend on what Serbia’s priorities are and is most actively engaged in – namely peace and stability in the region. The initiative launched by the Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic to form a common regional market that would have over 20 million consumers which would certainly be incomparably more attractive for large companies than the current fragmented markets with much lower individual potential in an integral part of this effort.