Report Serbia

After the opening by President Eberhard Sinner, Sandro Kirchner MdL emphasised the long-standing relations between Serbia and Bavaria in his welcoming speech. Since the 1970s, there has been a mixed government commission with Serbia, the first that Bavaria had established with a foreign state. Kirchner stressed the importance of Serbia's integration into the EU, not least for historical reasons and Serbia's strategic location.

Stevan Nikčević, State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, explained Serbia's general economic situation and particularly addressed the importance of relations between Serbia and Bavaria.

Here you can find his speech

Dragana Stojic, OWWF Western Balkans Correspondent, described the need to integrate Serbia and the other Western Balkan countries into the European family.

Here you can read her reflections

Valentin Knott, owner and managing director of the KNOTT Group, Eggstätt/Lkr. Rosenheim, presented the company in a short but informative speech. The Knott Group is one of the most important suppliers in the automotive sector, especially in the field of brakes, axles and trailers. He began by explaining his concept of giving the managing directors of all the group's subsidiaries a significant stake in the respective national companies. Thus they are also co-entrepreneurs and have a strong personal interest in the success of their company. He also described his satisfaction with the branch office in Serbia, which is showing strong growth.

Alexander Samonig, in his double function as a consultant for the ECOVIS Group in Belgrade, but also as an entrepreneur in Serbia, was able to conduct a precise SWOT analysis. Strengths and weaknesses were presented and can thus serve as a basis for decision-making for a possible expansion of business activities to Serbia.

Click here for the ECOVIS presentation (German)

The subsequent round of talks was moderated by Mr. Samonig, too.

Dragan Knezev, Managing Partner of Knott Autoflex YUG reported on the business activities in Serbia and the cooperation with the German Knott Group.

Fabian Ewald, COO Rox Hamann GmbH in Hofstetten/Lkr. Landsberg am Lech is active with our cooperation partner GERMAN Mittelstand. He reported on the company's plans to establish a branch in Serbia.

Klaus Ludolf, owner of IZB-Cargo & Co. Gmbh and owner of several river vessels that very often carry special transports on the Danube, pointed out in his contribution to the discussion bureaucratic obstacles and technical regulations that hinder his work, especially in Serbia.

He wrote a letter to President Sinner about his experiences

Jugoslav Miskovic is an advisor to and in this function the representative of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Germany. He has offered their assistance in cooperating with Serbian companies or in investment projects in Serbia.

Here you can find a presentation of the Chamber of Commerce: Why Serbia?

In his closing remarks, Consul General Božidar Vučorović thanked the stakeholders and participants of the event. The Consulate General provides all possible support for all projects.

In his summary, Eberhard Sinner once again emphasised the importance of Serbia's integration:

Serbia is an important partner in the implementation of the Danube Strateg

• Therefore priority for acceleration of the EU accession process

• Investment in critical infrastructures as a European task for the future, to counter China the European vision

• Reduction of bureaucratic obstacles to trade exchange

Finally, a statement by former Vice-Chancellor Prof. h.c. Dr. Erhard Busek, Vienna (who did not attend the event):

"Serbia continues to play a decisive role in the development of the Balkans and the Danube region, especially under the auspices of the European Union. It is with some concern that one has to register that developments in this soft flank of Europe have not exactly improved. Too many issues are open, whereby a stable situation for Serbia plays a decisive role not only economically but also politically. It must not be forgotten that the engagement of, for example, Russia and China, but also Turkey, raises a lot of problems from a European point of view, whereby cooperation for economic improvement is certainly good, but must not lead to non-European forces becoming stronger than the internal integration of the continent."