Part of the interview with Matthias Claivaz, First Secretary – Head of the Economic and Trade Office at the Italian Embassy in Serbia, taken from the magazine Diplomacy & Commerce
„When we talk about trade, it is always a good idea to rely on official statistics. If we look at the figures for recent years, we can only be optimistic. In fact, the trend is very positive, with continuous growth in both imports and exports. In 2017 Italy confirmed its position as Serbia’s second largest commercial partner with over 3.9 billon euro of total trade, a figure that grew by approximately 200 million euro compared to the previous year. Italy is also the largest importer of Serbian goods, although it has increased its export by more than 10% in the last year.
Our goal for 2018 is to exceed 4 billion euro. I am sure that this goal will be reached for two reasons: on one hand the forecast on the growth rate of the Serbian economy for this year are positive, on the other hand the trade of Serbia with all the countries of the European Union is constantly increasing, and now dominates in a structural way compared to the with third world countries.
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As I already mentioned, in 2018 the Serbian GDP is expected to show encouraging rates (around +3%), also the Italian economy, although at a slightly slower pace, will show a positive variation. This aspect will guarantee an increase in trade in all sectors. If I than I have to make specific predictions, it is reasonable to think that trade in vehicles, clothing, footwear and machinery will continue to grow. However, I think it is more interesting to focus on the sectors that show the most potential in the medium term. I particularly have in mind agrifoods and the subcategory of organic products, technological innovation and materials connected with the renewable energy and energy efficiency industry…“
Read the full interview in the magazine Diplomacy & Commerce
