Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Fifth international conference on SMEs opens

Belgrade, 23 November 2007

Serbian Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic opened today at the Sava Centre the 5th international conference on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) themed “SMEs and Entrepreneurship – Transformation of the Balkan Economy”.

Author: Tanjug

Dinkic stressed that economies of the Balkan countries are developing thanks to the shift to market economy and benefits of the EU integration process.

He said that countries in the region must cooperate better, particularly in the SME sector, which holds a considerable potential for progress, and added that SMEs in Serbia create 60,000 new jobs every year.

The Ministry of Economy and Regional Development has devoted this annual conference on SMEs to challenges and opportunities which governments in the Balkans are faced with, and it aims to provide further stimulus to SME development with greater international cooperation.

Two aspects are most important, namely, better cooperation based on the already achieved progress and the removal of the remaining barriers regarding international trade and investments, which will lead to a reduction in economic expenses.

The conference will gather representatives of the European Commission and Balkan countries who will focus on practical ways for improving cooperation in the interest of SMEs in the region.

Topics to be discussed include support to entrepreneurship in the Balkans, access to capital, improvement of inter-state cooperation, foreign direct investments, pre-contractual possibilities for SMEs, cooperation on innovations and research and improvement of the quality guarantee system.

Assistant Minister for SMEs Igor Brkanovic said that all countries in the region need good SME development strategies and their implementation.

Brkanovic pointed to the European Charter on Small Enterprises as an example of cooperation between the European Commission and Western Balkan countries which resulted in an improved environment for SMEs.

The Central European Initiative is the main sponsor of the conference, organised by the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, with the support of the Norway’s Entrance programme and the International Labour Organisation.