From 30 May to 1 June, an important three-day business forum “France – Balkans 2018” will gather over 250 participants from France and 12 countries of the Western Balkans in Belgrade. The forum will present Balkan investment potential to companies and businesspeople from France and countries of the region, enabling them to find partners and stimulating economic exchange between participating countries.
In addition to Serbia and France, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Kosovo will take part in the forum. The forum’s opening is expected to gather ministers and important political figures from countries that have confirmed their participation. It is organised by the state-run French development and investment agency Business France, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the French Foreign Trade Advisors Association, with the support of the French Embassy in Belgrade.
The business forum will be held at the Belgrade Metropol Hotel, and in addition to the official opening there will be three days of B2B meetings for interested companies according to a pre-defined agenda. Companies will be able to schedule meetings via an online platform, and participation for Serbian companies in these meetings is free of charge.Thematic and sector round tables will also be held to discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in the Balkans, and success stories of companies from individual sectors will also be presented.
At the forum, a “Village Expert” fair will be set up, at which interested companies and other business organisations will be able to present their offers. On the second day of the forum the organisers are also planning a Gala dinner.
Apart from the high officials, international financial institutions will be represented at the forum, with various chambers of commerce and business associations, businesspeople and so on. The first sectors to have been selected are leading economic sectors such as infrastructure, automotive, energy efficiency, waste treatment, agriculture, digital technologies and other sectors in which companies show an interest.
Organized by the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (CCFS) in cooperation with Business France, the French Embassy in Serbia and the Foreign Trade Association of France.
More detailed information is available here.