FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL 2021/2022
INTERVIEW
MIKE MICHEL, PRESIDENT OF THE FOREIGN INVESTORS COUNCIL AND CEO OF TELENOR SERBIA
We Must Embrace
THE NEW REALITY There is still a lot of work ahead of us when it comes to Serbia’s long-term recovery. We must increase productivity and sustain investments that stimulate economic growth, but also realise that there can be no returning to the old ways of doing business. It’s about acceleration and prioritisation in the new reality.
W
e probably won’t be able to discard the term COVID-19 from our lexicon either this year or next, but that shouldn’t prevent us from accepting new ways of doing business and new technologies, considers Mike Michel, President of the Foreign Investors Council and CEO of Telenor Serbia. In the opinion of our interlocutor, the Government of Serbia should now focus on supporting these changes and motivating organisations and companies to turn to new technologies and innovations. From the perspective of your members, how well has the Serbian Government responded to the challenges brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic? I would say that the Government has done a solid job when it comes to what matters the most - making everyone safe. This
We cannot avoid COVID-19, but our focus should shift to activities that will accelerate further growth while taking steps to support the Government and citizens as they continue to embrace new ways of living and working has been the biggest challenge and priority in the past year and a half and, since January 2021, great work has been done with mass vaccination, although there’s still room for improvement, especially when it comes to young people. Providing easy access to vaccination is not enough to achieve a high uptake if people don’t agree to being vaccinated. In Serbia, we are around having 50% of people completely vaccinated, but this number needs to rise sharply, so that everyone is safe and won’t be surprised by something that will certainly come. When it comes to the economy, Serbia is among the countries emerging in Europe that have been least affected by the pandemic. The Government has focused on helping those who’ve been hit the hardest: SMEs, entrepreneurs, tourism and transport, but 10
