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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Relations with diaspora very important for state

Belgrade, 1 July 2023

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said today that the diaspora is very important for our country and that the state will enable our people in the diaspora to return or to invest in Serbia if they wish to do so.

In the House of the National Assembly, where the Vidovdan Diaspora Assembly has began today, Brnabic pointed out that it is a great honour for her to be at this meeting with her compatriots.

She pointed out that the government of Serbia has three different bodies that work with the diaspora, which best confirms how important it is to our country.

We gathered here for the first time after 10 years and we have a great desire to make it possible to come back for all of you who want to, as well as to make it possible for you to invest in the country if you want to, but also to hear all your ideas, she reiterated.

She also stated that since 2018, meetings have been held every December that brings together young people who mostly study abroad, in order to hear the problems they face, many of which have already been solved.

According to her, Serbia is also building high-speed roads, connecting places with high-speed railways, and the image of our country has also changed with the introduction of the Internet to many parts of the country, with the desire that by the end of 2025, 100% of Serbia's territory will be covered by the internet.

Brnabic reminded that during the pandemic, many people returned to the country, but that many of them still remained there to live and build their future, so that there are still 15,000 more of our people in Serbia than before the start of the pandemic.

The Prime Minister, recalling what the state has done for the diaspora, also stated that the state created a housing loan programme for the diaspora and those who plan to return, which had not existed before.

There is a new special incentive that allows people who do not have our citizenship, and this especially applies to the second or third generation of those who live outside of Serbia, as well as to those who a few years ago went to countries that do not they allow dual citizenship, and they want to spend some time in the country, to return.

In the previous three years, the Directorate for Diaspora has equipped as many as 34 Serbian language schools in many countries, the Prime Minister pointed out and announced that three schools will be opened in the United States for the first time this year in September.

According to her, 25,000 textbooks and reading materials were provided for our children abroad, and in the previous three years the state helped 106 cultural and artistic associations in the diaspora.

Brnabic also stated that the budget for the economic empowerment of Serbs in the region for this year is three times larger, and an incentive has been introduced for the return of the best if they decide to return to the country, which foresees that employers who decide to employ these people will be released even 40% tax for five years.

For many years, the biggest problem for the return of our people was the value of the property they would bring. That's why it's important to listen to your problems, and as soon as we heard it, we solved the problem in six months. We raised the threshold from 5,000 to 20,000 euros if you lived abroad for two to 10 years, and if you lived abroad for more than 10 years, that threshold does not exist and you can return to Serbia without any problems, customs and taxes, she said.

Serbia, as she pointed out, is no longer just a country of migration, but a country of circular migration and immigration, because data show that in the period from 2015 to 2019, Serbia had a net inflow of approximately 90,000 people in the country, which shows not only strength, but and faith in our economy.

In the last five years, there has been a constant increase in requests from foreign citizens for residence in our country, and last year was an absolute record in terms of the number of residence and work permit requests in Serbia, she emphasised.

The Prime Minister promised that the country will do its best to make Serbia an even better place to live and a country that can freely compete with the richest countries.

My wish is that you all return to the country and that we all work on it together, Brnabic said and repeated that Serbia will always be with all its citizens.

The Vidovdan Assembly of the Diaspora is organised by the Office of the Minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations with the diaspora.

More than 250 representatives of associations and organisations that bring together the Serbian diaspora around the world, as well as representatives of Serbs from the countries of the region, are participating in the Vidovdan Assembly, which is held today and tomorrow.

The Vidovdan Assembly began with the singing of the national anthem. The participants were addressed by Minister without portfolio in charge of coordinating activities and measures in the field of relations with the diaspora Djordje Milicevic and First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic.