Dinkić promises GDP of EUR 7,000

By the end of the year, the per capita GDP in Serbia should reach EUR 7,000 Mladjan Dinkic says. At the same time, the economy minister and deputy PM told Tanjug in an interview, the economy will grow as the country comes closer to the European Union. Dinkic promises GDP of EUR 7,000 Dinkic, speaking in Belgrade on Thursday, added said that the state would have to attract between USD 5 and 8bn billion in FDI each year, and explained that his ministry had prepared a draft decree envisaging that the state should cover up to 25 percent of investments made by strategic investors. Those, according to the G17 Plus leader, are companies that invest more than EUR 200mn and create more than 1,000 new jobs. "This incentive does not exist in any other country of the southeastern Europe at this moment and it will be in force only until 2010, because it is our idea to give special conditions to those big companies that arrive in this market first," Dinkic continued, and added that the idea was to encourage the entry of "big IT, telecommunications and electronics companies". He said that the promised set of anti-corruption laws, including a law on the forfeiture of proceeds of crime and corruption, which would demonstrate the government's determination to deal with the issue, would be sent to parliament next week. Stressing that the new government had demonstrated speed in adopting initial decisions – with agreements with Russia and the European Union immediately sent for ratification – Dinkic announced that Prime Minister Cvetkovic's cabinet will show "similar speed and effectiveness in its work toward the conclusion of a contract with FIAT". At the beginning of May, the Italian company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kragujevac-based Zastava carmaker, while a partnership contract was announced for the end of June. "Final negotiations with the Italians start today. They have sent us lengthy documents and projections for the future development of the company in Kragujevac," Dinkic told Tanjug, and added that this would be "the first big investment of a foreign company in Serbia since the beginning of transition". Speaking about the energy agreement with Russia, Dinkic, who heads the government's working group for negotiations, announced that he would "do his best to ensure an agreement that would produce the maximum both for the Serbian and Russian economies". Asked if this agreement was conditional on Russia's political support over Kosovo's status, Dinkic said that Russians had reiterated on several occasions that their stand on Kosovo was principled, "while Moscow is guided by economic interests and market principles in the economic issues". Mladjan Dinkic (Tanjug)

Dinkić promises GDP of EUR 7,000

Dinkić, speaking in Belgrade on Thursday, added said that the state would have to attract between USD 5 and 8bn billion in FDI each year, and explained that his ministry had prepared a draft decree envisaging that the state should cover up to 25 percent of investments made by strategic investors.

Those, according to the G17 Plus leader, are companies that invest more than EUR 200mn and create more than 1,000 new jobs.

"This incentive does not exist in any other country of the southeastern Europe at this moment and it will be in force only until 2010, because it is our idea to give special conditions to those big companies that arrive in this market first," Dinkić continued, and added that the idea was to encourage the entry of "big IT, telecommunications and electronics companies".

He said that the promised set of anti-corruption laws, including a law on the forfeiture of proceeds of crime and corruption, which would demonstrate the government's determination to deal with the issue, would be sent to parliament next week.

Stressing that the new government had demonstrated speed in adopting initial decisions – with agreements with Russia and the European Union immediately sent for ratification – Dinkić announced that Prime Minister Cvetković's cabinet will show "similar speed and effectiveness in its work toward the conclusion of a contract with FIAT".

At the beginning of May, the Italian company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kragujevac-based Zastava carmaker, while a partnership contract was announced for the end of June.

"Final negotiations with the Italians start today. They have sent us lengthy documents and projections for the future development of the company in Kragujevac," Dinkić told Tanjug, and added that this would be "the first big investment of a foreign company in Serbia since the beginning of transition".

Speaking about the energy agreement with Russia, Dinkić, who heads the government's working group for negotiations, announced that he would "do his best to ensure an agreement that would produce the maximum both for the Serbian and Russian economies".

Asked if this agreement was conditional on Russia's political support over Kosovo's status, Dinkić said that Russians had reiterated on several occasions that their stand on Kosovo was principled, "while Moscow is guided by economic interests and market principles in the economic issues".