Cochard: Serbia increasingly attractive to French companies

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Economy Slobodan Cvetkovic met on Thursday with French Ambassador to Belgrade Pierre Cochard, who said Serbia was becoming increasingly attractive to companies from France and that bilateral trade between the two countries was up by 34 pct y-o-y, tripling since 2010.

The parties discussed bilateral political and economic cooperation.

Cochard noted that France supported Serbia on the EU accession path.

Cvetkovic said over 100 French companies were operating in Serbia and employing more than 12,000 workers, the Ministry of Economy said in a statement.

"In terms of public-private partnerships, we have excellent cooperation, especially when it comes to the Nikola Tesla Airport, which is a stepping stone to Belgrade becoming a regional air transport hub," Cvetkovic said.

He also noted that Serbia was open to investors and was adapting to global trends and markets, as well as that fiscal, political and energy stability had put the country on the map of attractive investment destinations.

"We are the regional leaders in attracting FDI. As much as 60 pct of all investments in the Western Balkans have come to Serbia. Last year, they totalled 4.4 bln euros. Serbia's attractive geographic location and skilled workforce have proven to be a competitive advantage in terms of investors coming here," the minister said.