Chamber of Commerce of Serbia: Trade exchange between Serbia and Switzerland should be increased

- Serbia may increase export to Switzerland in field of agriculture, textile, metal, food and mechanical industry – it was estimated today (October 1st, 2009) in the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia.

The State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy, Vesna Arsić, said at the Business Forum of Serbia and Switzerland that there was possibility for improvement of cooperation in field of metal processing, chemical and agricultural-food industry.

- There is a huge potential for strengthening economic relations between Serbia and Switzerland and attracting investments – said Arsić.

In the first half of the year, the value of exchange of goods between Serbia and Switzerland amounted to 127.3m USD, while Serbia’s deficit amounted to 68m USD.

The exchange of goods with Switzerland in 2008 grew by 18.9% against year 2007, but, as Ms. Arsić explained, the trend of growth of exchange of goods was slowed down in 2009 because of the global economic crisis.

The Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia, Ervin Hofer, estimated that the economic cooperation between Serbia and Switzerland can be increased because the trade exchange was rather small.

Hofer said that Switzerland backed Serbia on its path to EU, that Serbia was crucial country in the region, and that the region would operate well if Serbia operated well.

The Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia (PKS), Mihajlo Vesović, said that Serbia mainly exported electric energy, fuels and lubricants, pumps for liquid, fruits and vegetables to Switzerland, and that it imported pharmaceutical and chemical products, confectioneries and watches.

He said that the financial-banking cooperation between the two countries should be improved, and added that Serbia needed more favorable loans.

Vesović said that the biggest Swiss investors in Serbia were "Holcim", insurance company "Basler", and pharmaceutical factory "Pharmaswiss".

Switzerland is in the category of medium significant foreign-trade partners of Serbia. The exchange of goods with Switzerland amounts to 1% of Serbia’s exchange of goods with the world.