Friday, January 13, 2012

More funds to encourage new investments

Belgrade, 13 Jan 2012 – Minister of Economy and Regional Development Nebojsa Ciric today stated that the assistance package for the economy in 2012 is expected to yield similar effects as in 2011 when government measures helped to preserve 40,000 jobs.
Ciric told Tanjug news agency that this year the funds for encouraging domestic and foreign investments in production will be increased by more than RSD 1 billion, which means that almost RSD 5 billion will be earmarked for this purpose.

Our goal was to endorse production activities, primarily in the metals sectors, to keep jobs, maintain the production capacity and facilitate business operations, the Minister stressed.

When railway car producers, such as IMR from Rakovica or others, close a deal, they pull a number of other companies along – small and medium-sized, sometimes even large ones, and all of this together helps the creation of jobs and the production of permanent consumer goods, Ciric explained.

He stressed that the Serbian government’s package of measures is not intended for the services sector, but for the manufacturing sector, which is very important.

Although the government was unable to set aside money for subsidised loans for liquidity and investments in 2012, more than RSD 1 billion will be allocated through the Serbian Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) to encourage production investments.

The Serbian government has recognised the importance of investment in production, which will mark the arrival of new technologies and create new jobs, said the Minister, noting that almost all investments are export-oriented.

I think that this will have a positive effect on maintaining the existing and creating new jobs, said Ciric and recalled that investments and contracts signed last year are now being implemented, such as investments by companies Swarovski, Bosch and Cooper Tire.