Belgrade, 7th, April 2017 – The Foreign Investors Council held its first ”Dialogue for Change” dedicated to topics of digitalization & telecommunications, in Metropol Palace Hotel. Together with Minister Ana Brnabic and State Secretary Tatjana Matic, FIC members discussed how to propel digitalization and maximize benefits in the area of telecommunications.
In the introductory speech, newly elected FIC Vice President Ingeborg Ofsthus conveyed that the Foreign Investors Council introduced this new event with a goal to inspire change by sharing knowledge and innovation. Talking about digitalization and telecommunication, she noted that they are fundamental for increasing competitiveness of the Serbia and its economy. “Times of paper, stamps and fax machines are long gone and developed countries and their economies are finding ways to improve both their efficiency and transparency by embedding digitalization in their operations and expanding telecommunication infrastructure. In order to make Serbia more competitive, the Government needs to set the right framework for businesses, but also introduce E/M- Government to build its own efficiency and provide better service to the private sector and citizens” said FIC Vice President. She underlined that FIC can help deal with challenges linked to these reforms, both related to sharing new knowledge, as well as allocating resources necessary for implementation of new technologies.
Panel discussion that followed featured: Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Ana Brnabic, State Secretary in the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications Tatjana Matic, FIC Digital & E-Commerce Committee President Jasmina Vignjevic and FIC Telecommunication& IT Committee President Marko Jovic. Main topics discussed were regulatory framework and practical barriers for boosting digitalization and excelling telecommunications sector.
The event resulted with the joint conclusion that the FIC and the Government need to deepen their cooperation to amplify improvements in digitalization and telecommunication sector, as they are important segments of the contemporary business climate.
About the “Dialogue for Change”: The main aim of this new event is to bring the dialogue between the Government and FIC to a new level and enable more direct interaction and exchange of views and ideas. The main goal is to reach common conclusions and agree on joint actions resulting with concrete improvements in the business climate in Serbia on the most important topics which stand at the core of a country’s competitiveness.
About FIC: FIC continues to expand, gathering over 130 companies who have invested over EUR 28.7 billion, contributed to 21.7% of GDP, 22.2% of Serbian exports, 18% of Serbian corporate income tax state revenue, and directly employ over 94,000 peoplein Serbia. The association is continuously growing – in the past year investments grew by €5.2 billion, while direct GDP share increased by 3.7% in the period of last two years, based on further growth and inflow of new members. FIC main goal is to influence the improvement of business climate in Serbia by making concrete reform proposals and building a business portal for communication with the authorities in Serbia. FIC is also focusing on promoting solid business ethics and high corporate governance principles within the organization and towards local companies, the Government, and other external stakeholders. Through support and active engagement of membership, FIC has proven to be a strict guardian of the business community interests and at the same time a reliable partner to the Government of Serbia and other relevant stakeholders.
