Serbia-Montenegro heartened by positive World Bank report
The newly-released World Bank annual report, which ranks Serbia-Montenegro
first in reforms among 12 transition countries, heartened on Wednesday the
Balkan country which views it a good omen to better reputation, investment
boom and EU membership.
According to the report, Serbia-Montenegro has cut down the number of days
for founding a firm, simplified the procedure for opening new firms, and
improved the business climate by reducing various permits.
Serbian Deputy Premier Miroljub Labus said that the report would improve the
country's reputation in world economic circles.
"The government will study all the proposals and all the elements of
business and there where the business climate should be improved, will be
done in the next 12 months," Labus said.
The annual report could help create an "investment boom" which was announced
two months ago by Serbian Minister for International Economic Relations
Milan Parivodic.
"Serbia has never been on a better way to become an 'economic tiger' of the
region. The World Bank report proves that investors had also realized it. I
expect they will now start coming in even larger numbers with very ambitious
projects," Parivodic said in a statement.
It said that the influx of foreign direct investments is expected to
increase by about half a billion euros to 22.5 billion euros next year.
World Bank spokesman in Belgrade Vesna Kostic said that the report was good
news for Serbia and that she expected it would have an effect on investors
interested in Serbia.
As Serbia-Montenegro is set to open talks with the European Union in October
on stabilization and association agreement, the World Bank report is viewed
as a "huge encouragement".
"This important assessment by a relevant world institution is a confirmation
of the success of the reform processes carried out so far in
Serbia-Montenegro," Serbia-Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic said.
He said that faster and more efficient talks with the European Union on the
Stabilization and Association Agreement are the priority of
Serbia-Montenegro.
"In this respect, the World Bank report should stimulate all institutions
and political factors in Serbia-Montenegro to regard the realization of
European goals as their first priority," Marovic said.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200509/15/eng20050915_208649.html
Serbian News Network - SNN
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