ANNOUNCING THE FIRST FAIR OF INVESTMENT POTENTIAL OF THE MUNICIPALITIES OF PRESEVO, BUJANOVAC AND MEDVEDJA

9. April 2013.

On April 25, 2013, the Coordination Body’s Office of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja organizes the first fair of investment potential of the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The event was announced by the President of the Coordination Body, Professor Zoran Stankovic, U.S. Ambassador Michael Kirby and Vice President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce Vidosava Dzagic.

The fair will bring together business entities from the three municipalities and investors from home and abroad for the purpose of presenting business opportunities of this part of the country. The three municipalities from southern Serbia will be represented by 22 companies, eight of them from Bujanovac and Presevo each and six from Medvedja. Representatives of the entrepreneurs from these municipalities will be able to identify the possible ways of cooperation through direct talks with their potential partners.

"The economic situation in these municipalities is very difficult, while the unemployment rate is the highest one in the Republic of Serbia", Professor Stankovic said.

"There are economic resources and is now up to us to work together with investors from home and abroad in order to try to activate and use those opportunities," Professor Stankovic said.

President of the Coordination Body described the manner in which the economic entities would be able to present themselves to their potential partners. In addition to the round table, in which representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economy, the Ministry of Regional Development and Local Self-government and the Director of USAID Susan Fritz will participate, meetings with businessmen from South Serbia will be organized, so that they could talk to investors.

In 2012, the Coordination Body's Office provided a grant worth 40 million dinars to entrepreneurs from the three municipalities, which resulted in increasing the number of new jobs. This year, the Coordination Body’s Office earmarked 60 million dinars for grants to be provided to business entities from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

"Investing in this part of the country includes political stability. We expect that we will have other activities in the future that will contribute to the overall improvement of the quality of life for all citizens living in that area, "said Mr. Stankovic.

Ambassador Michael Kirby said that the United States would continue to support that part of the country in order to better utilize its resources, and those were, as the Ambassador pointed out, young people and the proximity of Corridor 10.

"The United States support the economic development of Serbia as a whole, especially of the southern part of the country," said the Ambassador.

The Coordination Body’s Office organizes the fair of investment potential in cooperation with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. This activity is supported by the Embassy of the United States and the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia.

Source: Coordination Body’s Office