The Foreign Investors Council celebrated its anniversary – 15 years of doing business, in the presence of numerous guests from the economic, social and political life, at the event in the White Palace complex. On this occasion, the esteemed audience was addressed by FIC President Yana Mikhailova and Minister of Finance Dusan Vujovic. Retrospective on the FIC establishment was made by Christoph Greussing who was first General Secretary of the Foreign Investors Council.
“FIC mission was and is today, to remain committed to the active promotion of a sustainable business environment in Serbia through open dialogue with the authorities and other relevant stakeholders. We stand proud in front of you today celebrating this important anniversary, recalling key FIC achievements in the past 15 years to date: We have been constantly growing, even in times of economic crisis and transition, we have stayed independent both financially and essentially, we remained faithful to the principles of equity, transparency, predictability, consistency and competition protection. With the inflow of fresh capital and good business results, our members foster GDP growth and new employment, while with application of new technologies, corporate governance and corporate social responsibility they promote the highest standards of doing business. Through joint work within the Foreign Investors Council we are helping Serbia prosper by sharing practical advice for overcoming current problems and spreading knowledge of good EU practices. Everything we do is intended to lead to easier doing business for all investors and ultimately to economic development of Serbia and prosperity of its citizens. For all that, the credit also goes to all of you who celebrate this important anniversary with us today – because alone we can do nothing, but together we can do a lot! Dear friends, we invite you to together stay committed to creating a simpler and better business environment in Serbia for the benefit of all,” concluded the President of the Foreign Investors Council Yana Mikhailova.
In addition to the introductory speeches, the official part of the program included performance by Una Saga Serbica, while in the continuation of the program, after the official part, the guests attended the informal part of reception followed with the sounds of RTS’s Big Band.
About FIC: FIC is a business association which, since its establishment, is advocating for improvement and increase of competitiveness of the local market and harmonization with the EU regulation. Each year, the FIC produces the “White Book” publication which provides comprehensive set of recommendations for further improvement of the business environment so that the Serbian market becomes more attractive for new investments, but also easier for doing business for the companies that are already operating on the market. FIC continues to expand- gathering over 130 companies who have invested over EUR 28.7 billion, contributed to 21.7% of GDP, 22.2% of Serbian exports, 18% of Serbian corporate income tax state revenue, and directly employ over 94,000 people in Serbia. FIC members, which are the driving engine of the Serbian market, invest their knowledge and expertise in the work of this association in order to help Serbia to create more attractive and sustainable business environment and to more quickly integrate into the EU market.
FIC is also focusing on promoting solid business ethics and high corporate governance principles within the organization and towards local companies, the Government, and other external stakeholders. Through support and active engagement of membership, FIC has proven to be a strict guardian of the business community interests and at the same time a reliable partner to the Government of Serbia and other relevant stakeholders.
Source: http://www.fic.org.rs