Investment and commercial risks - Spring conference of Prague Club - May 15-17, 2006, in Belgrade

Fund for securing and financing of foreign trade businesses (SMECA) will be the host of the regular Spring Conference of the Prague Club, which will be held in Belgrade from May 15 to May 17, 2006.

The members of the Prague Club are the agencies for guaranting of export credits and investments from central and east Europe, Asia and Africa. The Club represents part of International Union of Credit and Investment Guarantors also known as the Berne Union, which gathers more than 70 leading agencies from all over the world.

- The Conference will gather all those who wants to insure investments from political and commercial risks and who, in the name of the investors, make final decisions about the conditions required for the investment in certain country. The agencies for guaranting of credits and investments are highly influencable as far as determination of rating of the countries with regard to risk is concerned and it is very important to make them believe that Serbia and Belgrade are part of European civilization and that we are not unwanted partners. It will depend on their evaluation to which category of risk at the level of OECD or other institutions our country will belong. At the moment, we are in the most unwanted seventh category, which results in high price of fixed assets and semi-finished products for importers - manager of SMECA, Dimitrije Stamenović, points out.

About 25-30 members, i.e. over 50 guests, will take part in the Conference of the Prague Club. Also, the representatives of EBRD, German Investment Bank KfW, Italian Export Agency, as well as general secretaries of the Berne Union and the Prague Club, will come to Belgrade.