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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbian people living abroad to obtain citizenship more easily

Belgrade, 18 May 2004

In an interview to the latest edition of the Reporter weekly, Serbian Minister of Diaspora Vojislav Vukcevic speaks about the number of Serbs in diaspora, its participation in the process of privatisation in Serbia, and the tasks of the Ministry of Diaspora. The official web site of the Serbian government brings excerpts from the interview.

Vojislav Vukcevic

Does the Ministry have precise data on the number of Serbian people in diaspora?

Unfortunately, we do not have accurate data. The Ministry of Diaspora was formed only two months ago, and so far we have not completed the gathering of data on the number of Serbian people living outside Serbia. According to some rough estimates, it is believed that three to four million Serbian people live abroad, but not all of them have Serbian citizenship.

Where is the largest number of Serbian people in diaspora?

The majority of them lives in the US, Chicago. According to data from Germany, 630,000 Serbian people live in that country. Some sources say that one million of our people live in Germany and Austria. The Serbian consul in Istanbul says that there is between million and a half and two million Serbs in Turkey, who want to establish some kind of connection with Serbia.

Why is the diaspora's level of participation in the privatisation of Serbian companies very low or almost symbolical, and why is diaspora reluctant to invest in Serbia's economy?

People living in Serbia think that rich Serbian people who live abroad should be the first ones to invest in Serbia's economy. However, it is logical that they, just like all other foreign citizens, appreciate their money and expect guarantees that it will be safe in Serbia, and that they will get return on investment. These conditions have still not been secured, an we should not wonder why diaspora still remains aloof when it comes to foreign investment.

What are you doing to change that and which are the most important tasks of the Ministry of Diaspora?

We began our work by fulfilling the government's promise that it will make it easier for Serbs in diaspora to obtain Serbian citizenship. We drafted a bill allowing for everyone who wants Serbian citizenship to obtain it with less effort and money. I spoke recently to a priest from the Serbian Orthodox Church in Australia who has been trying for years that his three children, born in Australia, get Serbian citizenship. That is intolerable. Precisely because of that, many Serbs from diaspora cannot vote in the Serbian presidential election. These are just some of the defects of Serbia's system that have turned our people away from their homeland, and now we wonder why they are not willing to invest in Serbia's economic recovery.