Two billion euros of French investments in Serbia – From subway and nuclear energy to supercomputers

France is increasingly strengthening its economic presence in Serbia, with more than 130 companies and investments that account for two-thirds of total French investments in the Western Balkans, said the director of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Sanja Ivanic.

According to her, Serbia is a key country for the French presence in the Western Balkans, while French companies in our country are implementing large and long-term projects that further strengthen the economic cooperation between the two countries.

– Last year, trade between our two countries was somewhere close to EUR 2 billion. It has more than doubled in the last 10 years, which is a sign that Serbia is a very interesting country for France and for French investors – says Ivanic.

Ivanic reminded of one of the largest French investments, the entry of the company Vinci into the Belgrade Airport in 2018, worth EUR 800 million.

The latest meeting between presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Emmanuel Macron, as Ivanic points out, showed that the economic cooperation between the two countries is entering an even more dynamic phase. A special focus was on accelerating already launched strategic projects, including the Belgrade subway (in cooperation with Alstom and RATP Dev), the wastewater treatment plant in Veliko Selo (implemented by Suez and Vinci Grand Projet), energy projects, from the development of smart grids to low-carbon technologies and cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.

France, as one of the world leaders in the field of nuclear energy (EDF), has already signed a strategic agreement with Serbia on the development of the energy sector.

– This year, a conference dedicated to nuclear energy will be held as part of the French Week, where the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework, the development of domestic personnel and labor, with the support of French experts, the inclusion of Serbian companies in supply chains, which could enable them to participate in regional and European projects – she says.

Serbia and France are also deepening cooperation in the field of innovation. The Serbian government has signed a contract with the French company Bull/Atos to purchase the BullSequana XH3000 supercomputer, which will be installed in a data center in Kragujevac. This system will support the development of artificial intelligence, as well as the digitalization of healthcare, energy and infrastructure.

– The goal is for this supercomputer and the so-called AI factors to be part of Serbia’s national strategy for the development of artificial intelligence and support the development of sectors in our country and digitalization, such as the digitalization of the healthcare sector, the energy sector, and infrastructure, so we will have the BullSequana XH3000 supercomputer installed in the data center in Kragujevac – says Ivanic.

Francusko-srpski poslovni klub

Ogranak ALSTOM Transport SA Beograd

RATP DEVELOPPEMENT S.A Ogranak Gradska Mobilnost Beograd

Belgrade airport doo Beograd

French Serbian Chamber of Commerce

Alstom

RATP Dev

Suez

Vinci Grand Projet

Vinci

EDF

Bull Atos

Sanja Ivanić

Emmanuel Macron

Aleksandar Vučić

wastewater treatment plant in Veliko Selo

Belgrade subway

supercomputer