PARTNERS: ITALY & SERBIA
INTERVIEW
GIORGIO MARCHEGIANI, PRESIDENT OF THE ITALIAN-SERBIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND CEO AT DDOR INSURANCE, MEMBER OF THE UNIPOL GROUP
SUPPORT THAT WORKS Like Magic
In this emergency situation, the role of the Chamber was essential in our business community, both in protecting existing companies and reinforcing the bridges between Italy and Serbia. We are not magicians, but as a chamber we support our member companies in their everyday business life and cultivate longterm relationships with them. This seems to be appreciated as a value proposition
I
talian FDI will continue for sure, says Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce President Giorgio Marchegiani in this interview for our CorD special edition. Indeed, as can be read in the lines below, the Italian-Serbian Chamber of Commerce is doing its best to keep the existing business community safe and sound, and to attract new members and prospective investors. And we can therefore look with hope towards new Italian investments in 2021.
Mr Marchegiani, the previous months weren’t normal for any of us. What was the “not normal / new normal” for the Italian-Serbian Chamber that you head? - You are right, nothing was normal - first of all for all of us as human beings, even before considering our professional role. Thinking back to the previous months, I can describe two phases: the emergency and the restart. For the first part, I remember very well that week starting on 9th March: I flew to Serbia on the Monday, hoping that flights would be maintained. Italy was already experiencing a health tsunami and we were all worried for our companies and our families. 16
The whole of Europe, and also Serbia, implemented more severe measures that week, closing airports and locking down borders with neighbouring countries in a few hours. In that situation, where all of us were confused, scared and also had huge logistical problems (trucks blocked, drivers quarantined, families displaced), the Chamber behaved as a community to help, cooperating with the Italian Embassy in Belgrade, sharing information about the situation at the border crossings, health regulations, safety measures in the workplace, solutions, concerns, experiences. That first phase brought us back to the original role of the Chamber of Commerce: to meet and share information, in a difficult environment. Compared to the past, the meeting place was on the web and via social media, or over the telephone. During those days, I immediately pushed the staff to issue our newsletters almost daily via email, with all relevant official information. Further to this, a huge number of special cases was dealt with, with some thousands of phone calls that our staff answered, to support specific situations.
