Chamber of Commerce of Serbia to cut number of workers by about 25% prior to end of 2011 - new offices in Slovenia and in the markets of Africa and Near East

- The Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (PKS) should cut the number of employees by about 25% prior to the end of year 2011, from current 329 to 250 - said Miloš Bugarin, the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia.

- The plan for rationalization of the number of employees means reduction of their number to an "optimal level", which is about 250 workers, with all 10 branch offices abroad - he told Beta agency.

Bugarin also pointed out that PKS had made the decision to "open the Chamber's branch office in Slovenia, which will, most probably, happen in 2010, but we have also made the decision to close the office in Bosnia and Herzegovina because we have maximum support of our partner institution - the Chamber of Republic of Srpska - in that country, which fully backs all our activities".

He also announced that PKS was testing the markets of Africa and the Near East where another branch office may be opened in 2010.

- Is it going to be Libya or Egypt or some other country, that is something we need to think about - said Bugarin and added that the opening of the branch office was serious decision, which must be justified, because its organization and financing cost between 100,000 and 150,000 EUR on annual basis.

PKS currently has branch offices in Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Romania and Ukraine.

Speaking of the priorities in work of the Chamber in 2010, Bugarin pointed to improvement of business climate and establishment of more serious appearance when it comes to attracting foreign investments, overcoming the consequences of the economic crisis and export promoting.

The President of PKS expects to receive official interpretation of the Chamber's request for appraisal of the constitutionality of changes and supplements to the Law on Chambers, which will be put in effect on January 1st, 2013, from the Constitutional Court of Serbia at the beginning of this year.

According to his words, at this moment, the Law does not affect the number of members - "we even have more members now than in 2007".