Distinguished Members of FINCHAM,

It is already one year since our economies found themselves in the unprecedented conditions of this pandemic. It was last March when representatives of Serbian companies could not come to the Western Balkans – Finland Business Seminar, which should have taken place in Helsinki, and it was last April when Serbian breweries could not be main guests of the Helsinki Beer Festival.

However, both economies, developed Finnish and developing Serbian, are passing through the time of pandemic, more or less, successfully. In 2020, Serbia registered the GDP fall of only 1,1%, while the direct foreign investments reached 3 billion euros, with the current unemployment rate of 7,3%. How attractive Serbian economy is for international businesses and investments can be seen from the following two facts: firstly, 67.000 workers are employed at the moment by various German companies operating in Serbia, the fact that speaks for itself; secondly, the current gross average month salary in Serbia is just above 700 euros. Attached please find a power point presentation made by the Development Agency of Serbia, which contains a lot of interesting data about Serbian economy, availability of highly educated labor, competitive operating costs, financial benefits, incentives, and other conditions of business environment, including the European integration process of the country.

Serbia 2021 presentation

Although we are glad to see the current growth in interest of Finnish companies for doing business in Serbia, there is always a space for further increasing of our bilateral economic cooperation. Serbian Embassy in Helsinki is always at your disposal for any inquiry or assistance.

Sincerely yours,

Saša Obradović,

Ambassador of Serbia

(Useful links/contact: ambassador@serbianembassy.fi; Twitter:@SRBinFinland; Development Agency of Serbia: www.ras.gov.rs/en)