SSCC’s ’’Conference on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises SMEs’’ was held as part of SSCC’s efforts to emphasize the importance of the SME sector in further enhancement of economic relations between Switzerland in Serbia. Organized in the context of the ”Year of Entrepreneurship” in Serbia, the main objective of this event was to contribute to the strengthening of competitiveness of local SMEs.
Keynote speakers included the Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia, H.E. Mr. Philippe Guex, and the Serbian Minister of Economy, H.E. Mr. Goran Knezevic. “We want GDP growth to be over 3 pct and sustainable over the next four years so that we can bring the living standards of our citizens closer to those of the citizens of EU countries,” Knezevic said. Serbia’s industrial output is up by 5 pct, Knezevic said, noting that a trend of growing exports was encouraging.
Ambassador Guex said that a strong SME sector was very important for the economic growth of any country. He highlighted that SMEs were the backbone of the Swiss economy, considering they made up 99 pct of all enterprises and that they had ensured the prosperity of the middle class. A very important condition for the development of the SME sector in Serbia is a predictable regulatory framework for their operation, as well as good conditions for financing and innovation, said Ambassador Guex. Serbia must adapt its education system to the needs of the labor market, he said.
