Local and foreign investors interested in Simpo and Yumco

Local and foreign investors are interested in Simpo and Yumco, says the state secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Dragan Stevanovic.

According to him, the two companies from Vranje are expected to adopt the Pre-Packaged Reorganization Plan, after which partners should be found for them.

He also says that there is an interest in MSK and Petrohemija and that both companies are profitable.

– There are talks with several potential partners – Stevanovic said.

When asked about subsidies per job for foreign invests, Stevanovic said that the average amount is 5,000 to 5,500 euros.

In undeveloped municipalities, the amount is up to EUR 3,000, and in developed ones, it is EUR 7,000.

– With this measure, we have helped reduce the unemployment rate from 26% to 11.3%, and we have gone from having a deficit to having a surplus – Stevanovic said.

The salaries in these factories, as he said, need to be 20% above the minimum wage according to the law.

As he says, so far, Serbia has needed investments which entail a large number of jobs, but the strategy can change now towards capital-intensive projects.

– This means that investors such as Zumtobel and Alboni, where salaries exceed EUR 600-700, will be subsidized – Stevanovic says.

He says that, in 2018, 24 agreements with investors were signed, 11 with foreign and 13 with local ones.

– The problem is that local investors don't have work-intensive projects, such as Leoni or Yura, where there are 1,000 to 2,000 and more jobs. Local companies have 100 to 300 jobs – Stevanovic said.

Simpo a.d. Vranje

HKPK Yumco a.d. Vranje

Ministarstvo privrede Republike Srbije

MSK a.d Kikinda

HIP-Petrohemija a.d. Pančevo

Yumco

Simpo

Dragan Stevanović