EBEP: Signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the Vojvodina Chamber

The presidents of the Chambers, Vassilis Korkidis and Bosko Vucurevic, signed a memorandum of cooperation between the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Piraeus and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Vojvodina, with the aim of strengthening business relations through the cooperation of the two Chambers and with an emphasis on further strengthening of bilateral cooperation, as Greece needs to intensify its relationship with the countries of the Western Balkans.

The next period will be explored with a view to preparing the exchange of business missions, as well as strengthening the presence of the Chambers in business and operational events in their areas of responsibility, with an emphasis on trade, industry, tourism, as well as in the field of combined transport that is of great interest in terms of the formation of freight flows with the focus on the ports of Piraeus, but also of Thessaloniki.

From the discussion it emerged that the bilateral trade between Serbia and Greece, during 2021, amounted to 613.3 million euros, showing an increase compared to the corresponding period of 2020 by 28.44%. Specifically, imports from Serbia, for 2021, reached 252.2 million euros, while exports to Serbia, 361.2 million euros. The trade surplus in favor of our country amounted to 109.1 million euros. Regarding our exports in the service sector, it is recalled that these consist of inputs from the tourism sector, other services and transport. It is noted that, over time, the share of agricultural products & food occupies approximately 50% of the total bilateral trade between Greece and Serbia. The main Greek exported products include nuts and fruits (mainly citrus fruits), but also apricots, cherries, peaches, melons, watermelons, strawberries, cherries, etc., tobacco, vegetables, fertilizers, malt extracts, olive oil and cotton. As far as Greek investments are concerned, the main sectors of their implementation are the construction industry, the food and beverage industry, retail trade, telecommunications and IT technologies, hotel services, the provision of consulting/legal services, etc. According to the data, about the 250 companies of Greek interests have so far invested more than 1.5 billion Euros.

Special mention was also made in the energy field, as energy is one of the priority sectors in the context of bilateral cooperation between Greece and Serbia. In fact, it was emphasized that the global energy crisis from the beginning of 2022 makes Greek-Serbian cooperation in this field imperative, the foundations of which have already been laid since 2019, a time when the Greek side expressed the will to strengthen cooperation in the sectors of natural gas, renewable energy sources and energy efficiency: e.g. supply of Serbia with natural gas through the interconnecting pipelines Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) and Bulgaria-Serbia (IBS) or, also, from a possible extension to Serbia of the new gas pipeline. Thessaloniki-Skopje.

“We are preparing for the future of business in the Balkans and the development of bilateral trade relations”, emphasized the president of the E.V.E.P., Vassilis Korkidis, noting “the importance of carrying out business missions targeted by sector”. “I firmly believe that the collaborations of the Chambers can create a new development perspective”, he underlined, to remind that the current government, under Kyriakos Mitsotakis, has a strong development, pro-investment and pro-business character. “We look forward to the development of partnerships in the Balkans, recognizing the importance, but also the peculiarities, for international trade” concluded Mr. Korkidis.