Tadić calls on Serbians to return, invest in Serbia

Mr. Tadic, I am from the Serbian diaspora, and went through bureaucratic hell, just buying an apartment in Serbia, and that was with cash. There were so many forms, payment slips, authorizations, stamps, MUPs, SUPs, birth certificates, court verifications, fees, more authorizations, prove this, prove that, taxes, more fees, documents in cyrillic (which I don't read), copies of this, copies of that, transfers of utilities (in person only), and on, and on, not to mention that most of the people in positions of authority were rude as, and abrupt as hell. Did I regret ever buying anything in Serbia, you bet. Would I recommend to someone else in the diaspora buy any property in Serbia, hell no. As for starting a business in Serbia, I can imagine the hell on earth that would be for the disciplined, and honest diaspora. So no, Mr. Tadic, Serbia has a long, long way to go, before the diaspora will fell comfortable investing its money in today's Serbia.

When you get out of office ...Mr.tadic that's when we will invest in Serbia you sell-out ........

invest in what Tadic? you run a weak and corrupt government! any investment in Serbia would require some serious bribe money. get out of office and get a real Serb to run the country!

The Serbian diaspora is Serbia's last hope for both modernization as well as holding on to national pride. I suggest everyone here to look up an organization called '28. Jun'. We are a student organization from the Serbian diaspora and have already had great success for such a limited time.

The fact is the Serbian diaspora is best fit to lead Serbia. This is because the young Serbs have had the luxury to be educated in the best schools in the world. This is simply due to luck because some of us had a chance to leave Serbia during the wars and others not so lucky. With that said, the Serbs who did settle in the West are in no way intellectually superior to the Serbs in Serbia, and it is clear that had fate sent any of the Serbs to the West, the result would be the same. Serbs are a very bright and educated people who simply need more opportunity.

We have no intention to rob our motherland only to help it become a great place to live so that we can all eventually return.

Search up '28. Jun' and God bless Serbia.

LOL, this guy is a joke. Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher? It simply does not make sense. Why would someone go onto something far worse. Goodluck at your dreams, or should we say election-rhetoric. But hey, even stupid people should be able to see through this...

You are naive to think that Tadic is a sell out. I think Serbian government has done rather well given the circumstances. Do you think that the people that talk tough will do a better job? When it comes to the Kosovo issue there is only one man to blame. It was Milosevic that lost Kosovo not Tadic. Tadic is trying to reverse some of that damage that Milosevic did. Milosevic misread the landscape of geopolitics and played old fashion way in a reactive mode instead of preemptive mode.
Serbs also need to reflect a bit because with the current mindset Serbs can not be trusted. What kind of mindset is that where you describe Albanians as Semitic? Firstly it implies that Serbs have a problem with Semitic people and second that is naked silliness when most of the Academia gives Albanians a European root no less then Serbs.

My view is that by the end of this century we will have a United States of Europe with Europeanness as our primary identity. There will be a reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians.

USE-USA-China triangle will rule the world. By 2100 Serbs and Albanians whose identity will been transformed and revolve around Europeanness will be fighting the emerging Turkish empire who will come into conflict with USE over the leftovers of the former power, that is Russia.

The people that tell you to look to Russia are repeating the mistakes of the past. A Serbia that looks to Russia is in interest of Albanians because once more you become the black sheep of Europe. Do you get my point?

I believe Divac tried doing some business in Serbia, but was chased out by the excessive and corrupt bureaucratic processes. Interesting how they enjoy chasing out/selling out all the Serbs that can to good and lead that country.

Tell it like it is ecoman.

Serbia might have some draw for economic adventurists like me, but for any serious volume of investment, Serbia has to stop being Serbia, and that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Problem is Serbia has no idea and no capability of even knowing what's wrong. Just put up the "Belgrade is good for business" signs at the airport, just say "diaspora, come here and invest money", and job's finished.

Start complaining, and you'll get nothing but "sta fali?", "pa, ovo je srbija, jbg".

You've got a basic non-functioning of the whole system and on top of that you have a mountain of PRIDE.

awful.

I've personally managed to eek out something interesting, but I really don't see large numbers of people with enough patience or interest in doing what it's taken me a few years to do. In the big picture, it's just not worth it.

I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy to invest in Serbia.

I think this problems are in all balkans take Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Rumania .... they all are corrupt is a result of generational movement from Communist to Capitalist.

Also its good to see some serbs understand that Serbia is not the paradise SJ makes it to be where a pipeline will make it superpower of Balkans. The issue is that Balkan People feel entitled they all grew up on legends and being told you are the best, they do not have work ethic and all have conspiracy ingrained in their mind never ever is them its always some outside power.

You can make a lot of money in Serbia but you need to be up to your elbows in corruption and keep wages low due to bribes you pay, what motivates people is increase in wages and improvement of their life if they know 300Euros is their monthly salary and it wil go to 310 next year non of us will be jumping so eagerly out of the bed.

I do not understand how Serbia spends Billions in Kosovo instead of spending it in Serbia and why Serbs of Serbia allow this to happen. Kosovo is not full of gold and not full of minerals and trust me even if it was the trouble to fight for it its not worth it, 200K Serbs are keeping rest of Serbia ransom for what for some battle that was in 1389. I believe Serbia has great universities and a lot of great smart people in my company in USA we have lots of PHD's from Novi Sad and Beograd University great sharp people they all never want to go back.

I hope future generations will comment 100post in economic problem instead of Kosovo issue, on articles about economy in Serbia it rearly reaches 20 posts but some problem in Kosovo or Bosnia 100's this is what is going to keep this part of world in the dark. If Germans and French have found a way to coexist even after germany lost huge part of its territory Alzas to France why can we not do the same. By fighting Serb vs K-albanin vs Croat we keep in power the corrupt and ignorant politicians who stay in power with lies.

Tadic only wants Serbs to come back and invest, he doesn't care about the Romanians, Hungarians, and plenty of other minorities that left for better opportunities around the world. When I am no longer required to announce my presence at a local police station within 24 hours of entering the country legally, then I'll consider investing.

So is Another Canadian Serb and Peggy going to go home? Or do they prefer life in the West?

"Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher?"

Cheaper labor for the business owners and they probably wouldn't have to pay for all the very expensive health care/insurance that companies do in the U.S., for example.

"LOL, this guy is a joke. Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher? It simply does not make sense. Why would someone go onto something far worse"

Lazar, he said "invest", not "find a job". Serbia's certainly no place to come to sell your time, but is initially attractive if you're looking to buy.

This is the best comment I have heard tadic make. Why immigrate to the west to become a rootless cosmopolitan? You will forget that you are a serb.

Let's get straight about this call. IMF and other creditors are not willing to fill Serbian govt administration budget anymore so this is a way to trick nostalgic people from diaspora, promising "kule & gradove" just regularly as pre-election timing. Why don't you Mr. President do something you can do and fix the juridical system, cut the corruption down, protect investors properly by the law? Yes we know about Srba Ilic case and why US blacklisted Serbia. So, what do you expect Mr. President? To treat us equally "smart" as all taxpayers there in our homeland? I don't think so.

Create the business climate and the diaspora will return without being begged. Albania has been doing some serious restructuring (10% flat tax, simplifying regulations, etc.) and it's paying off. With a population of about 3 million it achieved foreign direct investment of $1.097 billion (2010), second in the region after Serbia ($1.16 billion). The new mayor in Tirana is offering to waive local taxes for 4 years for every 50 new employees. For example. Serbs like competition in sports - why not try economic competition? Berisha is competing with the U.S. - just a week or so ago he was boasting about cutting the time to obtain various licenses and permits, and one was shorter than in America. (Frankly, I don't think he really cares whether the investment comes from the diaspora or France or China: jobs are jobs, growth is growth.)

Andrie

what's the opposite of cosmopolitan? primitive peasant person?

Thanks, but I'll take cosmopolitan who's forgotten that he's a Serb any day.

I agree that if you create a business climate the diaspora will return without being begged. Serbia has to realise that it lives in a global world where investment chooses where to invest. National boundaires mean nothing any more, capital will follow where it can gain most profit. Serbia has a lot gonig for it. Well educated workforce, and cheap labour, so what's stopping people investing. My Serbian friends tell me corruption is a big problem, politicians who haven't moved on etc...need I say any more.

Why do people prevaricate here? What is the average wage in Serbia, 300 EURO's a month. what is the average wage in the UK for example, £22000 per annum, which works out at £1833 per month. add Germany, France, Australia, the US, pretty much all of the EU and its more or less the same story. factor in other elements like health care service, social tolerance and other things, its a no brainer. seriously, I am Kosovar living in London, but there's a reason why Kosova isn't particularly attractive to me right now. ultimately human beings are all the same, we all want a comfortable life in a material sense (not paramount by any means but nevertheless important) and this is easier to get in the West. posters lime Ari Gold here talk a good nationalistic game, but they are happy living in the US and would NEVER return to Serbia for 300 EURO's a month and who can blame them?

You are naive to think that Tadic is a sell out. I think Serbian government has done rather well given the circumstances. Do you think that the people that talk tough will do a better job? When it comes to the Kosovo issue there is only one man to blame. It was Milosevic that lost Kosovo not Tadic. Tadic is trying to reverse some of that damage that Milosevic did. Milosevic misread the landscape of geopolitics and played old fashion way in a reactive mode instead of preemptive mode.
Serbs also need to reflect a bit because with the current mindset Serbs can not be trusted. What kind of mindset is that where you describe Albanians as Semitic? Firstly it implies that Serbs have a problem with Semitic people and second that is naked silliness when most of the Academia gives Albanians a European root no less then Serbs.

My view is that by the end of this century we will have a United States of Europe with Europeanness as our primary identity. There will be a reconciliation between Serbs and Albanians.

USE-USA-China triangle will rule the world. By 2100 Serbs and Albanians whose identity will been transformed and revolve around Europeanness will be fighting the emerging Turkish empire who will come into conflict with USE over the leftovers of the former power, that is Russia.

The people that tell you to look to Russia are repeating the mistakes of the past. A Serbia that looks to Russia is in interest of Albanians because once more you become the black sheep of Europe. Do you get my point?

Tell it like it is ecoman.

Serbia might have some draw for economic adventurists like me, but for any serious volume of investment, Serbia has to stop being Serbia, and that's not going to happen anytime soon.

Problem is Serbia has no idea and no capability of even knowing what's wrong. Just put up the "Belgrade is good for business" signs at the airport, just say "diaspora, come here and invest money", and job's finished.

Start complaining, and you'll get nothing but "sta fali?", "pa, ovo je srbija, jbg".

You've got a basic non-functioning of the whole system and on top of that you have a mountain of PRIDE.

awful.

I've personally managed to eek out something interesting, but I really don't see large numbers of people with enough patience or interest in doing what it's taken me a few years to do. In the big picture, it's just not worth it.

I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy to invest in Serbia.

When you get out of office ...Mr.tadic that's when we will invest in Serbia you sell-out ........

So is Another Canadian Serb and Peggy going to go home? Or do they prefer life in the West?

invest in what Tadic? you run a weak and corrupt government! any investment in Serbia would require some serious bribe money. get out of office and get a real Serb to run the country!

The Serbian diaspora is Serbia's last hope for both modernization as well as holding on to national pride. I suggest everyone here to look up an organization called '28. Jun'. We are a student organization from the Serbian diaspora and have already had great success for such a limited time.

The fact is the Serbian diaspora is best fit to lead Serbia. This is because the young Serbs have had the luxury to be educated in the best schools in the world. This is simply due to luck because some of us had a chance to leave Serbia during the wars and others not so lucky. With that said, the Serbs who did settle in the West are in no way intellectually superior to the Serbs in Serbia, and it is clear that had fate sent any of the Serbs to the West, the result would be the same. Serbs are a very bright and educated people who simply need more opportunity.

We have no intention to rob our motherland only to help it become a great place to live so that we can all eventually return.

Search up '28. Jun' and God bless Serbia.

LOL, this guy is a joke. Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher? It simply does not make sense. Why would someone go onto something far worse. Goodluck at your dreams, or should we say election-rhetoric. But hey, even stupid people should be able to see through this...

Tadic only wants Serbs to come back and invest, he doesn't care about the Romanians, Hungarians, and plenty of other minorities that left for better opportunities around the world. When I am no longer required to announce my presence at a local police station within 24 hours of entering the country legally, then I'll consider investing.

"LOL, this guy is a joke. Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher? It simply does not make sense. Why would someone go onto something far worse"

Lazar, he said "invest", not "find a job". Serbia's certainly no place to come to sell your time, but is initially attractive if you're looking to buy.

I think this problems are in all balkans take Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Rumania .... they all are corrupt is a result of generational movement from Communist to Capitalist.

Also its good to see some serbs understand that Serbia is not the paradise SJ makes it to be where a pipeline will make it superpower of Balkans. The issue is that Balkan People feel entitled they all grew up on legends and being told you are the best, they do not have work ethic and all have conspiracy ingrained in their mind never ever is them its always some outside power.

You can make a lot of money in Serbia but you need to be up to your elbows in corruption and keep wages low due to bribes you pay, what motivates people is increase in wages and improvement of their life if they know 300Euros is their monthly salary and it wil go to 310 next year non of us will be jumping so eagerly out of the bed.

I do not understand how Serbia spends Billions in Kosovo instead of spending it in Serbia and why Serbs of Serbia allow this to happen. Kosovo is not full of gold and not full of minerals and trust me even if it was the trouble to fight for it its not worth it, 200K Serbs are keeping rest of Serbia ransom for what for some battle that was in 1389. I believe Serbia has great universities and a lot of great smart people in my company in USA we have lots of PHD's from Novi Sad and Beograd University great sharp people they all never want to go back.

I hope future generations will comment 100post in economic problem instead of Kosovo issue, on articles about economy in Serbia it rearly reaches 20 posts but some problem in Kosovo or Bosnia 100's this is what is going to keep this part of world in the dark. If Germans and French have found a way to coexist even after germany lost huge part of its territory Alzas to France why can we not do the same. By fighting Serb vs K-albanin vs Croat we keep in power the corrupt and ignorant politicians who stay in power with lies.

Mr. Tadic, I am from the Serbian diaspora, and went through bureaucratic hell, just buying an apartment in Serbia, and that was with cash. There were so many forms, payment slips, authorizations, stamps, MUPs, SUPs, birth certificates, court verifications, fees, more authorizations, prove this, prove that, taxes, more fees, documents in cyrillic (which I don't read), copies of this, copies of that, transfers of utilities (in person only), and on, and on, not to mention that most of the people in positions of authority were rude as, and abrupt as hell. Did I regret ever buying anything in Serbia, you bet. Would I recommend to someone else in the diaspora buy any property in Serbia, hell no. As for starting a business in Serbia, I can imagine the hell on earth that would be for the disciplined, and honest diaspora. So no, Mr. Tadic, Serbia has a long, long way to go, before the diaspora will fell comfortable investing its money in today's Serbia.

"Why on earth would someone go to Serbia where the median wage is several times less and the unemployment rate several times higher?"

Cheaper labor for the business owners and they probably wouldn't have to pay for all the very expensive health care/insurance that companies do in the U.S., for example.

This is the best comment I have heard tadic make. Why immigrate to the west to become a rootless cosmopolitan? You will forget that you are a serb.

Why do people prevaricate here? What is the average wage in Serbia, 300 EURO's a month. what is the average wage in the UK for example, £22000 per annum, which works out at £1833 per month. add Germany, France, Australia, the US, pretty much all of the EU and its more or less the same story. factor in other elements like health care service, social tolerance and other things, its a no brainer. seriously, I am Kosovar living in London, but there's a reason why Kosova isn't particularly attractive to me right now. ultimately human beings are all the same, we all want a comfortable life in a material sense (not paramount by any means but nevertheless important) and this is easier to get in the West. posters lime Ari Gold here talk a good nationalistic game, but they are happy living in the US and would NEVER return to Serbia for 300 EURO's a month and who can blame them?

I believe Divac tried doing some business in Serbia, but was chased out by the excessive and corrupt bureaucratic processes. Interesting how they enjoy chasing out/selling out all the Serbs that can to good and lead that country.

Let's get straight about this call. IMF and other creditors are not willing to fill Serbian govt administration budget anymore so this is a way to trick nostalgic people from diaspora, promising "kule & gradove" just regularly as pre-election timing. Why don't you Mr. President do something you can do and fix the juridical system, cut the corruption down, protect investors properly by the law? Yes we know about Srba Ilic case and why US blacklisted Serbia. So, what do you expect Mr. President? To treat us equally "smart" as all taxpayers there in our homeland? I don't think so.

Create the business climate and the diaspora will return without being begged. Albania has been doing some serious restructuring (10% flat tax, simplifying regulations, etc.) and it's paying off. With a population of about 3 million it achieved foreign direct investment of $1.097 billion (2010), second in the region after Serbia ($1.16 billion). The new mayor in Tirana is offering to waive local taxes for 4 years for every 50 new employees. For example. Serbs like competition in sports - why not try economic competition? Berisha is competing with the U.S. - just a week or so ago he was boasting about cutting the time to obtain various licenses and permits, and one was shorter than in America. (Frankly, I don't think he really cares whether the investment comes from the diaspora or France or China: jobs are jobs, growth is growth.)

Andrie

what's the opposite of cosmopolitan? primitive peasant person?

Thanks, but I'll take cosmopolitan who's forgotten that he's a Serb any day.

I agree that if you create a business climate the diaspora will return without being begged. Serbia has to realise that it lives in a global world where investment chooses where to invest. National boundaires mean nothing any more, capital will follow where it can gain most profit. Serbia has a lot gonig for it. Well educated workforce, and cheap labour, so what's stopping people investing. My Serbian friends tell me corruption is a big problem, politicians who haven't moved on etc...need I say any more.