by Mina Vučić
INTERVIEW
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THE ITALIAN INVESTMENT HOTSPOT PATRIZIO DEI TOS
President of Confindustria Serbia
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he President of Confindustria Serbia, Patrizio Dei Tos, is looking forward to economic growth in the near future, in the post-pandemic period. Italian companies in Serbia have been developing with numerous new sectors opening, thus enhancing further expansion. Our journalist Mina Vučić had the great opportunity to interview the President of Confindustria Serbia for the sixth edition of Italy InFocus magazine dedicated to the Italian economy in Serbia and discuss the current Serbian-Italian relations and plans.
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Focus
ITALY 2021
How do you evaluate the economic cooperation between Italy and Serbia, especially during the pandemic?
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Firstly, the cooperation between our two countries has always been very good and professional. I have to thank Serbia for vaccinating nearly everyone in our executive office and in our board, making our relations even more valuable. Obviously, people’s mobility is the biggest problem at the moment. However, I must admit that Serbian institutions have always been prepared to solve the difficulties in the fastest and most professional manner. What else could the Serbian government do this year to help business-
Italian and Serbian companies have been working together to overcome the pandemic’s consequences and form a stronger entrepreneurial environment es overcome this crisis as quickly as possible? This is a very interesting question for us entrepreneurs because today, more than ever, we need support to maintain the workforce. I believe the main focus should be on financial aid as we have a lot of companies in the development phase seeking new investment opportunities. Unfortunately, the current financial aid from the government might not be sufficient enough to give that courage to companies to invest. If companies start investing, they are surely going to have a spot in the market but most importantly, they will create new jobs. Therefore, in my opinion, the focus today should be on boosting
I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT SERBIA HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES WITH ITS VACCINATION SCHEMES AND THIS PROVIDES US ALL WITH GREAT HELP, STABILITY AND HOPE FOR A BETTER FUTURE
the market and generating those investments which is the main way our companies will grow and develop and be better prepared to face everything that comes their way. I also want to add that my instinct tells me that after the Covid-19-induced crisis, economies will start booming and growing, so being prepared to face what is coming next is very important for the companies. If we help and support companies now to invest and be prepared to take off once again after the pandemic, this will guarantee success in the near future. Lastly, financial aid is something that Serbian institutions should emphasize to help generate investments and help companies be better prepared for what’s to come. Many Italian companies came to the Serbian market and created a large number of new jobs. What is Confindustria’s role in all of this? Also, could you tell us what were the main problems that companies faced in 2020? Our job is to accompany businesses, not only during their market entry phase but also during their entire life cycle. Hence, it is important for us to nurture great relations with all the institutions we work with. We push the companies forward and support them in their decision- making, therefore it is
