Serbian CoC Head to Hold Round Table for German Media in Berlin

Marko Cadez (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

Early on Jan. 15, Serbian Chamber of Commerce Director Marko Cadez announced he would be organizing a round table for German media later in the day, focused on how to enable the faster flow of goods, people and capital in Serbia, on strengthening German investments in Serbia, on the current state of Western Balkan economy and on Germany’s potential role in helping the region overcome the “structural pressures” it faces.

“In Berlin, we will be talking to German journalists about various topics. What are the current structural pressures shaping our countries, from the issues in the energy sector to the Kosovo question? What role can Europe, and foremost Germany, play in overcoming these structural pressures, to create something that is good for both Europe and Serbia? What will happen should the process of [Serbia] moving closer to the European Union not be actively supported and what would a geopolitical vacuum mean for the region? As well as whether and how Serbia can integrate into the European [Economic] Area,” Cadez told the RTS public broadcaster’s morning show.

Cadez stressed that, when Serbia and the Western Balkans are concerned, German media often publish rather simplified reports and that this is tied to the fact that there is no one in Berlin focused on following regional circumstances on a day-to-day basis.

In his opinion, it is essential both for Serbia’s economy and the economy of the region to find a way for Germany to additionally support and participate in what the entire Western Balkan business community – i.e. all six economies in the region – is advocating and petitioning for: having the Western Balkans join the European Economic Area as soon as possible, gaining access to the free flow of people, goods and capital first, with full EU membership to come later.