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Building modern market structure priority
Belgrade,
8 September 2008
Serbian Minister of Trade and Services Slobodan Milosavljevic said today that the main goals of the strategy and policy for development of trade in Serbia are preservation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), expansion of trade in the region and strengthening competition in the country.
At a public debate on the strategy and policy for trade development in Serbia which was held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, held jointly by the Chamber and the Ministry of Trade and Services it was stated that in the process of Serbia’s EU integration the most important economic task is building a modern market and trade structures.
Milosavljevic said that the strategy and policy for the development of trade is the result of the continual good quality work done by the Ministry during the past eight years.
He said that the strategy determines clear directions and methods for the preservation of SMEs, considering the fact that there are nearly 105,000 registered independent traders in Serbia which employ more than 260,000 people.
The Minister said that the Serbian market must be made attractive to new investors in the trade sector, with the aim of making Serbia a regional leader. He added that the state must make efforts to help widen Serbia’s economic influence as much as possible.
President of the Chamber of Commerce, Milos Bugarin said that Serbia needs a clear strategy and policy for the development of trade, which will become a basis for adopting modern laws on trade and other systemic laws on economy.
According to him, trade in Serbia is represented by 42,776 companies, which is 43% of the total number of companies, of which number 433 are socially-owned and 584 state-owned, whereas there are over 93,000 independent trade companies.
Bugarin said that between 2000 and 2007 the number of stores jumped from 86,591 to around 102,000, which according to estimates span more than four million square metres.
The total turnover in retail and wholesale last year is estimated at over RSD 2.500 billion, and retail turnover per capita is estimated at almost RSD 150,000, he added.
He specified that trade GDP contributed around 10.8% of the total GDP last year, whereas in 2001 it stood at 6.3%.
Milosavljevic said that the strategy and policy for the development of trade is the result of the continual good quality work done by the Ministry during the past eight years.
He said that the strategy determines clear directions and methods for the preservation of SMEs, considering the fact that there are nearly 105,000 registered independent traders in Serbia which employ more than 260,000 people.
The Minister said that the Serbian market must be made attractive to new investors in the trade sector, with the aim of making Serbia a regional leader. He added that the state must make efforts to help widen Serbia’s economic influence as much as possible.
President of the Chamber of Commerce, Milos Bugarin said that Serbia needs a clear strategy and policy for the development of trade, which will become a basis for adopting modern laws on trade and other systemic laws on economy.
According to him, trade in Serbia is represented by 42,776 companies, which is 43% of the total number of companies, of which number 433 are socially-owned and 584 state-owned, whereas there are over 93,000 independent trade companies.
Bugarin said that between 2000 and 2007 the number of stores jumped from 86,591 to around 102,000, which according to estimates span more than four million square metres.
The total turnover in retail and wholesale last year is estimated at over RSD 2.500 billion, and retail turnover per capita is estimated at almost RSD 150,000, he added.
He specified that trade GDP contributed around 10.8% of the total GDP last year, whereas in 2001 it stood at 6.3%.
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