The formal meeting of Assembly of the Association of Italian Industrialists in Serbia, Confindustria Serbia was held on February 4th, in Belgrade, in the presence of the representatives of the Government of Serbia, the Italian Embassy, members and friends of this association. Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić said the two countries had a long tradition of successful cooperation, which has further improved and validated over time.
“Bearing in mind that Italy is the top political and economic partner of Serbia, we plan to host the fourth joint session of the two governments in Belgrade in the coming period, which could be followed by the Business Summit, attended by business people from the two countries,” Dačić said.
According to him, “Italy is one of the largest investors in the Serbian economy, and so far, Italian companies have invested around three billion euro in Serbia and employed 26,000 workers.”
The President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, Marko Čadež, underlined that Italy was an important trading partner of Serbia and that Italian companies contribute to its economy.
“Together we are going to work on bringing more Italian partners to Serbia, as well as for our companies to export to Italy more. Today, Serbia exports 8 billion euro worth of products to Italy, and that is a great success,” said Čadež.
President of Confindustria Serbia, Patrizio Dei Tos said that one of the priorities for business people doing business in a foreign country was constant and close cooperation with local institutions.
“It is only through a relationship of trust, harmony, dialogue and knowledge sharing that we can economize with a clear goal and get the most out of our business projects,” said Dei Tos.
According to him, Serbia gives business people something very valuable and that is business associates. “The associates come from business and working culture, thanks to which they possess skills, professionalism and identity, all of which makes it easier for Italian companies in Serbia to do business,” said Dei Tos.
Italian ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio, stated that Italy and Serbia were connected by historic friendship, based on intense political, cultural and economic/trade ties.
At the meeting, Confindustria Serbia gave out three awards – to Elektromremont for Corporate Social Responsibility, to Anude for their contribution to the implementation of dual education, and the National Employment Service received recognition for supporting the Italian businesses.
