Promoting the private sector in Serbia

Project description 

Title: Private sector development in disadvantaged regions in Serbia
Commissioned by: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
Co-funded by: European Union
Country: Serbia
Lead executing agency: Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication
Overall term: 2017 to 2022

training of consultants

Context

For more than ten years, Serbia has been working to reform its economy and society. This process has been adapted to facilitate EU accession, and the state institutions and the private sector face several challenges on the path to joining the European Union. 

Keeping pace with this development requires commitment and results-based, systematic cooperation between public and private institutions, together with suitable services to promote micro-enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and start-ups. In Serbia’s economically weaker regions, in particular, targeted efforts to promote the private sector are needed.

Objective

The competitiveness and innovative capacity of micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) has been improved.

Bio-Obst und Gemüse1

Approach

In order to support the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, MSMEs and the relevant ministries and other public and private institutions, the project works in four fields of action:

  • Improving services that promote MSMEs through public and private institutions
  • Promoting the range of services available to MSMEs in the value chains for information and communication technology, metal and mechanical engineering, sustainable agriculture and tourism.
  • Advisory services related to national industrial policy. The focus is on cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Economy. The needs of the private sector in the selected value chains are to be incorporated into public funding programmes and services.
  • The conditions for developing a competitive range of tourism services in the Serbia Lower Danube region have been improved. 

Growth and employment are to be boosted by expanding the range of services available to MSMEs. Project activities aim to strengthen business-to-business relationships in the selected value chains. New solutions in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) aim to increase the productivity of MSMEs.

The promotion of start-ups supports entrepreneurship in selected Serbian regions. New business models for start-ups are being developed. Women are supported as entrepreneurs.

At the end of 2019, the project was extended thanks to EU cofinancing from IPA 2018 funds. In field of action 2, a new value chain (tourism) was introduced, and there is an additional field of action.

Additional information