France an Important Partner for the Region of Western Balkans

"Serbia, together with the other economies of the Western Balkans, has great potential to be a serious partner to large economies like France, especially in the context of the inclusion of our companies in global supply chains," said Mihailo Vesović, Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, on the panel dedicated to the cooperation between France and the Western Balkan region within the Business Forum "France-Western Balkans: Production, supply chain, and ESG practices".

At the meeting organized by the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the French Embassy in Belgrade and the French foreign trade advisers, it was pointed out that the economic ties between Serbia and France are very strong and have base in developed trade exchange of goods and services and significant French investments, especially in capital projects in Serbia.
The Ambassador of France to Serbia, Pierre Koshar, said that holding the Forum is a sign of the vitality of relations between France and Serbia. 
"Since the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019, we have strengthened the economic exchange between our two countries, and at the regional level there is also a dynamic that favors the French presence, supported by the strategic priority we give to the Western Balkans," Koshar said.
According to him, the exchange between Serbia and France has tripled in the last 10 years, and energy, transport, and sustainable development are the leading sectors of cooperation. 
Serbian Minister of Trade, Tomislav Momirović invited French companies to invest in Serbia, highlighting the potential for expanding cooperation in agriculture and agro-industry.
Since, as he said, large companies are interested not only in Serbia, but in the entire Western Balkans because individual markets are small and they must consolidate, Serbia has "taken a leading role and developed into a regional industrial, commercial, but also digital 'hub'", which means that it has attracted 80 percent of French investments in the region - the minister pointed out. 
Momirović mentioned the preparation of the specialized world exhibition "EXPO 2027" in Belgrade as an important project, where he expects the participation of French companies as well.
The president of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Dragan Stokić, said that the two-day forum gathered 150 companies from France and the countries of the Western Balkans and more than 20 panelists from renowned French companies, representatives of institutions and companies from the Western Balkans.