Every successful relationship evolves, so future collaboration between Switzerland and Serbia will likely enhance sustainable FDI, boost Serbia’s innovation capacities and support the economy’s green transformation
Departing Swiss Ambassador H.E. Urs Schmid captured the essence of Swiss-Serbian relations succinctly, stating: “it has been a whirlwind of remarkable events, with our excellent bilateral ties strengthened and cooperation expanding into new areas like science and innovation, making this the most rewarding posting of my career”. This success stems from decades of achievements across political, economic, humanitarian and innovation sectors.
In the 1990s, Switzerland was among the first countries to offer humanitarian aid to Serbia, laying the groundwork for a comprehensive support framework. This evolved into a robust partnership, marked by the 30th anniversary of the programme supporting Serbia’s European integration reforms two years ago. The Migration Partnership Agreement, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, underscores ongoing bilateral collaboration as highlighted by the July 2024 visit of Federal Councillor Beat Jans.
Noteworthy projects like the SME Hub, which offers advisory services to SMEs and partners with Serbian and international financial institutions, illustrate this expanding economic engagement
Over the past 12 years, Switzerland has been instrumental in enhancing the efficiency, transparency and accountability of Serbia’s National Assembly and local assemblies through initiatives like e-parliaments and digital tools. At the local level, Switzerland has established around 100 partnerships, working with local governments to improve service delivery through digitalisation and good governance practices. This includes efforts to boost transparency, citizen satisfaction and governance standards.
Economic relations between the two countries have also flourished. Switzerland is a key trade partner and investor in Serbia. Noteworthy projects like the SME Hub, which provides advisory services to small and medium-sized enterprises and partners with Serbian and international financial institutions, illustrate this expanding economic engagement. Swiss investors consistently rank among the top foreign investors in Serbia, and as interviews with leading figures in the Swiss-Serbian Chamber of Commerce reveal, a strong foundation for continued success has been laid.
Every successful relationship seeks constantly to evolve and grow. In this spirit, future steps in mutual collaboration will probably focus on enhancing inflows of foreign direct investments, particularly those that support sustainable development, advancing Serbia’s scientific and innovative ecosystem, promoting socially responsible business practices and driving the green transformation of the Serbian economy.
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