Serbian prime minister starts visit to France

Serbian prime minister starts visit to France

During his one-day visit to France, Vučić also met with the officials of leading French companies gathered in the network MEDEF.

After the introductory address by President of MEDEF International Jean Burelle, the Serbian prime minister presented his government's plans for the reform of the economic system in Serbia to the representatives of 40 companies, including Alcatel, Lafarge, Alstom, Bouygues, Orange, Rothschild, Societe Generale, BNP Paribas.

Speaking about the new laws which the parliament is to adopt by the end of summer, Vučić invited the French companies to direct their investments to Serbia, the government said in a statement.

"The set of tax reliefs we have prepared will be the best in the region. Serbian government is determined to ensure security of investment through regulation change," said Vučić and once again expressed his gratitude to the French government on the assistance provided to Serbia during the May floods.

Serbian Minister of Economy Dušan Vujović emphasized that Serbia is determined to carry out reforms and to pass and enforce good laws.

"We are working on the details that will speed up and facilitate investments in Serbia. This is a good chance for you and if you don't come on time you might miss it," Vujović said.

Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali spoke about changes in the city administration, investment potential of the Serbian capital and the new investment plan adopted by the city authorities.

Mali presented the major projects planned for this year, including Belgrade Waterfront, which he described as the most ambitious project in this part of Europe, and added that Vinča, Belgrade train, reconstruction of the bus station and the Belgrade airport are projects that need partners.

Mali pointed to Air Serbia as an example of a successful project realized last year in cooperation with the UAE-based Etihad, noting that the airline increased the number of passengers by 60 percent in its first year.