Ana Govedarica, President of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SSCC)

Digitalisation, science and research are crucial to the SSCC’s work, because they are critical to the development of Serbia’s economy, healthcare and overall progress

Swiss investors have ranked among the leading foreign investors in Serbia for many years. And according to Ana Govedarica, president of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, whether we’re talking about the encouraging of foreign investments or domestic ones, “the stability and transparency of conditions for doing business on the domestic market remain crucial prerequisites for further investment”.

“We expect the new government of the Republic of Serbia to continue encouraging FDI inflows, and particularly those that contribute to the Serbian economy’s sustainable development, support the advancement of the country’s scientific research and innovation ecosystem, and promote socially responsible operations,” explains our interlocutor. “The holding of the world-renowned EXPO 2027 exposition in Belgrade is an impressive step towards increasing the visibility of the Serbian market’s attractiveness – not only in Switzerland, but across the international business community”.

How satisfied are your members with Serbia’s business climate and what do they see as the most important future steps to improve the business environment for existing companies?

— Last year’s survey among member companies showed that the majority of respondent companies (71.43%) rate Serbia’s business climate as satisfactory, while they express particular satisfaction with the extent to which the economy is transforming digitally. Further improvements are expected in the following areas: efficiency of public institutions and bureaucracy, implementation of legal regulations, and ensuring legal certainty and stability.

Among the most important future steps to advance the business environment, I would emphasise the further implementation of not only the digital transformation of the Serbian economy, but also its green transformation. With this in mind, the European CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) regulation aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of products is an important mechanism in the Serbian economy’s energy transition process, while it will also unlock new investment potential for our country. Numerous SSCC member companies are committed to green transition, which is why we initiated a conference on this topic as a chamber, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS), which was held this April and brought together a large number of participants.

Adjustment Mechanism) regulation aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of products is an important mechanism in the Serbian economy’s energy transition process, while it will also unlock new investment potential for our country. Numerous SSCC member companies are committed to green transition, which is why we initiated a conference on this topic as a chamber, in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Serbia (CCIS), which was held this April and brought together a large number of participants.

What would you highlight as the SSCC’s greatest successes in its 10 years of operations?

— The Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce was founded in 2014 as an independent, self-financing and private business association. We celebrated our anniversary this June: a full decade of successful activity, thanks to the support of our member companies. Special appreciation plaques were presented on this occasion to the member companies that recognised the SSCC as a reliable business partner from the outset and this year achieved a full ten years of membership! We also had the honour of our jubilee celebration being attended by Swiss and Serbian officials, including Serbian Science, Technological Development and Innovation Minister Jelena Begović, Swiss Ambassador in Belgrade H.E. Urs Schmid and State Secretary Andrea Horvat Kiralj of the Serbian Ministry of the Economy, as well as numerous other representatives of institutions that the SSCC has cooperated with successfully.

Our underlying success is reflected in the creation of a tightly connected and dynamic business community of Swiss and Serbian companies, which was evident at the jubilee celebration that was attended by a hundred guests. We have also established a longstanding partnership with Switzerland Global Enterprise, the Swiss national agency for the promotion of investments and exports, headquartered in Zurich, with which we’ve organised a series of events aimed at promoting business opportunities on the Serbian market among Swiss companies, such as last October’s webinar on the topic of railway infrastructure development that included the participation of Andreas Haas, CEO of Swiss railway industry association Swissrail, and was attended by around 50 Swiss companies. Moreover, cooperation with Serbian institutions has been improving constantly and we’ve implemented activities over previous years together with representatives of the Serbian Ministry of Finance, the CCIS, the National Employment Service and others. I would also highlight the importance of continuity in the SSCC’s work over the course of these ten years and the continuous adapting of our activities to the current Swiss-Serbian reality, such as digitalisation, innovation, technological development, scientific research and sustainable development.

How do Swiss companies that are present on the Serbian market contribute to the development of scientific research and strengthening cooperation between business and academia?

— Switzerland is a world innovation leader, as shown by last year’s WIPO Global Innovation Index. Switzerland achieved this position thanks to strong educational and scientific research systems, investment in the development of new technologies, an innovative and dynamic startup ecosystem and strong links between industry and universities.

I would mention the example of Roche’s activities directed towards supporting investments in scientific research activities on the Serbian market and the development of new innovative solutions: Roche and the Government of Serbia signed an Agreement on scientific research cooperation in the field of “precision medicine” in 2022. With this agreement, work is planned on the creation of new research and development capacities through innovative projects, with the aim of advancing the healthcare system. As a partner of the Bio4 Campus initiated by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Roche is striving to support the development of scientific institutes and educational institutions that will enable the further positioning of Serbia on the global innovation map. I would point out in particular the fact that Roche will be a partner in the newly established educational programme Master 4.0 in the field of bioinformatics.

As a partner of the Bio4 Campus, Roche strives to support the development of scientific institutes and educational institutions, enabling Serbia’s further positioning on the global innovation map

The SSCC then also signed a Memorandum of Cooperation last year with the Faculty of Economics in Belgrade, as well as organising numerous activities for students in cooperation with member companies, such as Nestlé, Kuehne+Nagel and Sky Express. We are thus contributing to the further strengthening of links between the university and the economy, as well as providing students with the opportunity to take their first steps in the business world. We are likewise continuing to expand our network of partners among academic institutions, and in that sense have already taken the first steps towards implementing cooperation with the Faculty of Organizational Sciences.

How do you view the role of digitalisation in the development of Serbia’s healthcare system?

— The digitalisation of healthcare plays a key role in advancing the healthcare system. By investing in today’s technologies and through the efficient use of data, we can accelerate and improve the accuracy of diagnostics, thus promoting personalised therapy and improving outcomes for patients. The implementation of digital healthcare solutions enables improved coordination between doctors and patients, optimising resources and improving the overall quality of services. The changes created by new therapies and digitalisation are huge and require the creation of a strategy for a modern healthcare system and a new approach to financing it. This new approach enables the better planning and more efficient financing of the healthcare system on the basis of data, as well as personalised communication with users of healthcare services, leading to improved treatment outcomes and reduced costs.

What do you see as being the SSCC’s most important priorities in the decade ahead?

— Like in the previous decade, the fundamental focus of the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce’s work will remain on maintaining a regular dialogue with member companies and strengthening our chamber’s business community. Alongside this, the transfer of Swiss knowhow and examples of good business practices, attended by guest lecturers from Switzerland, form part of the SSCC’s regular events. Digitalisation, science and research continue to represent the central pillar of the SSCC’s work, not only because they are essential to the further development of the economy, but also that of the healthcare system, while they represent areas that have special significance to the Republic of Serbia’s overall development.

We will devote special attention to promoting the Serbian market in Switzerland and the continued business networking of Swiss-Serbian companies. In that sense, the SSCC will be among the participants in the CEE Day 2024 event, to will be held in Zurich in September, organised by our partner institution Chamber of Commerce Switzerland – Central Europe.