Slovenia plans to invest in SME sector in Serbia

BELGRADE - Slovenia is planning to invest in the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector in Serbia, Slovenian Ambassador Franc But said on Monday after receiving the Danube Flower award at the Danube Business Forum.

I consider this award as a recognition of Slovenia's presence in Serbia and the region, But told Tanjug.

Slovenia is present in Serbia with around 400 investments, 10 of which failed, but others are very successful, he said, noting that around 250,000 people work in almost 1,600 Slovenian companies in Serbia.

But said that the Slovenian investments in Serbia so far stand at EUR 1.2 billion, noting that they decreased by EUR 200 million because the Merkator retail chain was sold to a Croat owner.

He said that two Slovenian companies - Gorenje and Impol Seval in Sevojno are among Serbia's top exporters to the Russian market.

I believe that we will have even more investments in the future, but the focus will be on SMEs that will hire between 100 and 250 people, the Slovenian Ambassador said, underscoring that small enterprises in Slovenia have the need to become international.

The Serbian market has great potential as the workforce in Serbia is quite interesting, as he put it, and Serbia has interesting agreements with other countries, with Russia for example.

In the next 10 years, a new type of Slovenian investments will be present in Serbia, But said, referring to SMEs.

Within the Danube Strategy, Serbia and Slovenia are responsible for the field of transportation, and But believes that there is much unutilized potential in that field, such as Cargo 10 in the railway sector for example.

He noted that as of November 1, in the new European Commission,...