Serbia the “economic tiger” of the region – Industrial potential of local market the most attractive one in the Balkans

Although the attention of the European Union has turned to internal issues above all, following the decision of Great Britain to leave, the process of expanding to the Western Balkans mustn’t be stopped, it was estimated on June 27 in Vienna at the conference “Serbia’s Road to the EU – challenges and opportunities”, from which a message was sent that Serbia was an “economic tiger” that belonged in the EU.

The moderator of the panel organized by the Senate of Economy of Serbia and the law firm Lansky, Ganzger + partner, former high representative of the international community for B&H and representative of the EU for Kosovo Wolfgang Petritsch, emphasized that this was a time marked by Brexit, after which the EU would turn its attention to itself.

According to him, Serbia, as the biggest country in the region, will need to make extra effort to become the member of the EU because of that. The EU’s attention, as he said, is now turning to internal issues, so South Eastern Europe might become more significant in the process.

Vice president of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber Christoph Matznetter expressed his hope that the EU would stick to its enlargement policy.

He pointed out that Great Britain had been among those members who had supported the enlargement of the EU, and that it was now possible that the support to enlargement would weaken. Austria will, he added, surely support Serbia’s accession process.

He assessed that the industrialization process in Serbia was noticeable and that in the previous 24 months the country had become more interesting than even China, as it had well trained workforce and with that fewer logistics problems.

Matznetter pointed out that Serbia’s industrial potential was the most attractive one in the Balkans and that the country could become the region’s “economic tiger”.

Wirtschaftskammer Österreich - Privredna komora Austrije

Udruženje Senat privrede Beograd

Brexit

conference Serbia's Road tyo the EU challenges and opportunities

Serbia's EU membership

Lansky Ganzger partner

Wolfgang Petritsch

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Christoph Matznetter

EU enlargement policy

industrialization in Serbia

Senate of Economy of Serbia