FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL CELEBRATED 20TH BIRTHDAY

The Foreign Investors Council (FIC) is celebrating 20 years of work and commitment to a predictable, competitive, and sustainable business environment, along with the permanent improvement of the business and investment climate, promoting Serbia as a great place to invest for the benefit of all its citizens. The ceremony was opened in the presence of numerous dignitaries with introductory speeches by the vice-president of the FIC and general manager of Roch for Serbia and Montenegro, Mrs. Ana Govedarica, the Minister of Information and Telecommunications, Mihailo Jovanović, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, H.E. Emmanuel Gioffre. In her opening address, the Vice President of the FIC and General Manager of Roch for Serbia and Montenegro, Mrs. Ana Govedarica, reminded the audience that two decades ago, 14 companies founded the FIC with the aim of the business community contributing to the development of a predictable, competitive, and sustainable business environment as well as to encourage positive changes that had an impact on the Serbian economy and society. “In the past twenty years, the circumstances in the Serbian and global economy have changed significantly, and with them, the FIC, adapting to these changes and responding as efficiently as possible to the challenges that, above all, our members face, contributing to the improvement of the overall business environment in the Republic of Serbia” – Mrs. Govedarica concluded. After the introductory speeches, the FIC thanked its long-term partners, the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the EU Delegation in Serbia, as well as the companies, its founders: British American Tobacco; Hyatt Regency Belgrade (Ex HDD ˝Belgrade joint venture “); Emil Frey Auto Centar d.o.o. (ex Mercedez-Benz); Messer (Ex Tehnogas AD, Belgrade); Moravacem (Ex Cement Factory “Novi Popovac”); Nestle (Ex DELYUG); OMV d.o.o.; OTP Bank (Ex Societe Generale); PricewaterhouseCoopers d.o.o.; Raiffeisen Bank a.d; Siemens d.o.o. Tetra Pak Production d.o.o.; Unicredit Bank Serbia (Ex HVB Bank) and Velux Serbia d.o.o. Compared to 150 million euros of investments and 3,160 employees at the time of its establishment, today, twenty years later, the FIC consists of about 120 members who have invested about 36 billion euros and employ more than 100,000 citizens of Serbia. About 75% of the FIC member companies are companies from the EU. Corporate culture, highly ethical operations, and modern principles of corporate management of member companies make the FIC a reliable partner not only for the Government of the Republic of Serbia but also for domestic companies. Despite numerous challenges over time, the FIC’s key pillars have remained unchanged: independence, transparency, expertise, best international practices, and, above all, support for more intensive European integration.