Eurochambres support regional cooperation in Western Balkans

Eurochambres and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber will provide full support to the projects of the Chamber Investment Forum for the strengthening of regional cooperation and a stronger connecting between business communities in the Western Balkans, as announced by Christoph Leitl, the head of Eurochambres and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, on Saturday (April 21, 2018) in Podgorica.

At the session of the Managing Board of the Chamber Investment Forum of the Western Balkans Six, he said that this was one of the main requirements on the region's path towards the European Union, the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia reported.

Leitl relayed the message of Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, to the attendees, about the importance of the chambers' involvement in the development of mutual trade in the region, in attracting investments and in the process of digitalization for the purpose of integration of the business community of the Western Balkans in the EU.

Wolfgang Grenke, Vice President of Eurochambres, highlighted the role of dual education in reducing unemployment, primarily among the young.

According to Marko Cadez, the president of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (CCIS) and the chairman of the Managing Board of the Chamber Investment Forum, a common regional chamber with the seat in Trieste will create a whole set of new services and products – tools of support to the member-companies – through its projects in the upcoming period.

As he says, this will provide better access to finances for small and medium enterprises especially, as well as help them to produce and export more, to trade among each other more, but also to establish better connections and create regional chains that can be competitive in the international market.

– The first common product of the common regional chamber – the online investment platform, launched in February in London, will get new features in the upcoming period, such as databases of regional investments projects and suppliers from the region, regular six-month analyses of the regulatory framework and the business environment from the angle of the business sector, information about proposed and realized initiatives for governments to remove non-customs barriers and harmonize national regulations – Cadez stated.

The projects to be realized by the Chamber Investment Forum will contribute, as the president of the CCIS says, to a more efficient harmonization of regulations, procedures and practice and, through a dialogue with the governments of the region, to a quicker removal of barriers to trade and investments, establishment of a joint market and the promotion of the Western Balkans as a unique investment destination.

– We will also work on increasing the mobility of the workforce in the region, which should secure a better cross-border exchange of workforce and stop the leaving of workers from the region, and the establishment of a digital platform will support the development of all these projects, digital connection and the development of digital services which will make operations in the region quicker and more efficient – Cadez announces.

The Chamber Investment Forum of the Western Balkans Six signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Regional Cooperation Council about common activities which will lead to a more efficient carrying out of the multi-annual action plan for the regional economic space and the implementation of the goals for the Southeast Europe Strategy 2020.

The meetings in Podgorica were also attended by representatives of the chambers of Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey and Austria.

EVROKOMORA Brisel

Wirtschaftskammer Österreich - Privredna komora Austrije

Privredna komora Srbije

Eurochambers

Austrian Federal Economic Chamber

Chamber of Commerce of Serbia

CCIS

Chamber Investment Forum

Western Balkans

Christoph Leitl

Marko Cadez

Johannes Hahn

Wolfgang Grenke

dual education

small and medium enterprises

sources of finance

online investment platform

regional cooperation