The most important achievement in Serbia by the year 2030 should be the establishment of a functional and competitive market economy, as a stable framework for the operations of domestic and international companies ~ Milan Grujić, President of the German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce
The German-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (AHK Serbia), in collaboration with the German Eastern Business Association, organised the Regional Business Forum “The Western Balkans in 2030 and beyond”. Held in Belgrade on 13th and 14th September 2023, the forum was implemented to commemorate the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishing of the Zoran Đinđić Internship Programme of German Business.
The Regional Business Forum invited representatives from business, politics and civil society to participate in a joint time capsule, to take a closer look from the imagined perspective of 2030 at the economies, political perspectives, challenges and latest trends in the field of sustainability in the Western Balkans.
In fastpaced, one-hour discussion rounds, different perspectives could be heard from the economic, political and civil society sectors, with a special focus on the topics of regional economic development, brain gain vs. brain drain, and the complexity of the Green Deal and associated essential reforms.
With this conference, which marks the 20th anniversary of our Zoran Đinđić German Business Internship Programme, we want to improve the dialogue between politics, civil society and business from the perspective of 2030 ~ Michael Harms
Speaking at the opening of the Regional Business Forum, AHK Serbia President Milan Grujić emphasised: “the most important achievement by the year 2030 should be the establishment of a functional and competitive market economy, as a stable framework for the operations of domestic and international companies. The Berlin Process certainly contributes to opportunities to unlock the economic potential of the region, while the most significant outcomes of this process for us entrepreneurs are the creation and use of a Multi-Annual Action Plan for the regional economic area and the project of establishing a Common Regional Market. This should be based on the successful implementation of the Action Plan for the Common Regional Market for the 2021-2024 period, which implies the implementation of various activities in four key areas: trade; investment; digitalisation; and industrial regional space.”
As German Eastern Business Association MD Michael Harms stated: “with today’s conference, which honours the 20th anniversary of our Zoran Đinđić Internship Programme for German Business, we aim to enhance the dialogue between politics, civil society and businesses from the perspective of the year 2030. With the huge potential the region provides, on one hand, and the current global challenges it faces, on the other, we believe that only a common approach among all stakeholders will overcome the current obstacles.”
The formal opening of this forum was also attended by German Ambassador in Belgrade H.E. Anke Konrad and Serbian Minister of Domestic and Foreign Trade Tomislav Momirović.