Business forum between Serbian and Italian businessmen to focus on green transition, ICT, AI, and biotechnologies
Green transition, information and communication technologies, artificial intelligence, and biotechnologies, in addition to traditional sectors of cooperation, will be in focus at the Business Forum of Serbian and Italian businessmen, which will be held tomorrow in Trieste, announced the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Marko Čadež, in an interview with the Italian news agency „Nova“.
„Economic relations between Italy and Serbia are characterized by a successful cooperation over many years, which now gets new chances for further improvement. The Business Forum of Serbian and Italian businessmen, the second one in a year, will gather more than 200 companies, and high-level political officials will also participate, which is very important because many of our projects are part of the large Government state plan and are funded from public sources, such as those related to infrastructure, green transition, sustainability,“ announced the president of PKS.
Čadež reminded that there are 1,300 Italian companies operating in Serbia employing around 30 thousand people, almost like a „small city“.
„Italy is one of our major trading partners, with whom we have reached a trade exchange of around 5 billion euros, and 60% of Italian companies in Serbia are small and medium-sized enterprises,“ Čadež specified.
President of PKS pointed out that Italian companies were precursors in many sectors, such as „Fiat“ in the automotive industry and the joint venture „Fintel“ and „MK Group“, which built the first wind farm in our country.
He emphasized that Serbia is one of the countries with the highest economic growth on the continent in the last five years, and the driving force are the most innovative sectors.
„The ICT sector is continuously growing by around 40% annually and the growth rate is further increasing. In the field of new technologies, Serbia is now recognized as one of the most competitive centers. We have 6.5 million inhabitants and the value of software exports is expected to reach around 5 billion euros this year, and according to projections, it will reach 10 billion euros in 2027. Italian companies recognize this competitive advantage and are coming to Serbia,“ emphasized Čadež.
Among traditional sectors, the most important is the infrastructure sector, and as he points out, the „ace in the sleeve“ is EXPO 2027, which will be held in Belgrade.
He pointed out that Belgrade will be the center of the world in 2027, expecting enormous development in the real estate and infrastructure sector, which is a real opportunity for Italian companies. „Trieste is very important as a maritime hub and a trading center between Western Europe, Italy, and our Southeastern Europe. Connections exist, they just need to be completely modernized,“ he added.
President of PKS reminded of Serbia’s competitive advantage thanks to free trade agreements, not only with the EU but also with Turkey, China, and all former Soviet republics, providing direct duty-free access to markets with 2.8 billion consumers.
„The Western Balkans is the region in Europe that will have the highest growth in the next five to seven years, counting the starting point where we are now,“ noticed the president of PKS, adding that there are also significant capacities in the hydroenergy sector and in the field of solar energy.
The economic connectivity between Serbia and Italy is part of a broader geographical vision, the Western Balkans region, and Europe. Economic perspectives and possible directions of action to strengthen Italian presence in the region are exactly what is envisaged in the strategic plan for the Adriatic-Balkan region of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, created in February 2023, in cooperation with institutions ICE, SACE, SIMEST, and diplomatic representations.
In the period from 2023 to the beginning of 2024, SACE, SIMEST, and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (Cdp) opened offices in Belgrade.
Follow all news from Serbia and the world on our Telegram channel.
Install our iOS or android application – 24sata
The news that matters
Follow us on social media.
