Through Networking and Cooperation to Stronger Regional Development – Favorable Business Environment and Security Crucial to Keeping Existing Investors and Arrival of New Ones

The Western Balkans region has not used all its opportunities for economic development. Our countries are small and not strong enough to fight the competition on the global market. That is why the key lies in regional cooperation and association. Also, we must create a business environment by which we would keep the existing investors and attract new ones, but also those people who, by their entrance to the market, would bring added value to our states.

These are just some of the conclusions of the panel “Regional Business Scene: Where Are We Heading?”, moderated by the editor of the information program of RTCG, Sasa Klikovac, and held within the second regional conference “Women of Impact: On the Stage” in Herceg Novi.

Networking of the region for a stronger economic development and attracting investments

The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro (PKCG), Nina Drakic, said that, although the countries of the Western Balkans were oriented toward each other, they had not used all their opportunities for economic development.

– The data show that, in the space of the Western Balkans, we have plenty more potential for mutual cooperation, which is certainly a pre-condition for economic development. The countries of the region are not strong enough to be able to fight the competition on the global market, so that potential can be much better utilized through cooperation and association – Drakic said.

According to her, Montenegro is perhaps one of the countries of the Western Balkans that is the most dependent on the region in the sense of external trade, which amounts to around 30%. In other countries, the percentage is slightly lower.

– So, there is room for cooperation. PKCG has excellent cooperation with other chambers in the region, and together through bilateral cooperation and our regional initiatives we are working on better connecting the region and promoting it as a single investment destination. One of those projects is the launching of the Western Balkans Chamber Investment Forum – she said.

She pointed out that there was still enormous potential for cooperation, through two segments.

– The first is the creation of infrastructural pre-conditions, that is, a better infrastructural connecting of the region. The second segment is the business environment, that is, those incentives which each country of the region should create in order to attract investors to come and do business here – said the president of PKCG.

An inevitable factor in this is political support, that is, a political consensus.

– It is politicians who ultimately make decisions, that is, create the conditions for doing business. As for economic cooperation, there are no obstacles there, the capital always finds a way. The question is how much the capital flows in the region are hampered by political decisions and some unresolved situations in certain countries of the region – she added.

According to her, in Montenegro, but also in other countries of the region, priority is still given to politics, at the expense of professionals and business people.

– We have to work on building a better position for the economy and we mustn’t turn the economy and the politics into opponents. Decision makers must understand that it is precisely those business people who bring added value, and that the state is there to set the rules of the game, which would enable business people to do their jobs. They must understand that they are there to be of service to the citizens and the economy and that they are not there by some God-given right. Those are the things that we have to work on in the long term and they cannot change overnight – said the president of PKCG.

Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro

PKCG

Government of Montenegro

Nina Drakic

Sasa Klikovac

Women of Impact On the Stage

business environment of the region

economic strengthening of women

women entrepreneurs

attracting investments

education reform