Delegate Office of German Industry and Commerce for Serbia and Montenegro celebrates 10th anniversary of operations in Serbia

The Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Serbia and Montenegro celebrates the 10th anniversary of existence and operations in our country. This significant jubilee has been celebrated in the presence of numerous guests from Germany, Serbia, and the whole region.

The German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) made the decision to open its branch office in Serbia in 2001 when the DIHK Branch Office for former SR Yugoslavia was set up under the name of the Delegate Office of German Industry and Commerce for Serbia and Montenegro. This institution has been giving a great contribution to the development of economic relations between the two countries over the past 10 years. In the period 2001-2010, the trade exchange between the two countries was more than doubled. With nearly 1.5 billion euros worth of investments made in Serbia to date, the German companies are present in almost all branches of industry in numerous locations all around the country. Currently, about 360 enterprises in Serbia, of which founders are juristic persons from Germany, employ about 20,000 people.

The Delegate Office of German Industry and Commerce is a member of a big family of the German Chambers of Commerce (AHK), which is active in the total of 80 countries worldwide through its 120 offices. The primary goal of this institution is to give strong contribution to the intensification of economic cooperation between Germany and the host country, as well as to provide numerous services aimed at facilitating the arrival of German investors in Serbia and the region. The Delegate Office is also an official representative of the Munich Trade Fair and the Cologne Trade Fair, as well as the Senior Expert Service (SES) - a foundation that provides consulting assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and government institutions.

The Delegate Office of German Industry and Commerce initiated the formation of the German Business Association in Belgrade (DWB) in December 2002. With nearly 200 members, this association is today one of the biggest foreign economic bilateral organizations in the country.

As part of aforementioned celebration, the Delegate Office of German Industry and Commerce also organized an appropriate photo exhibition and published a bilingual publication named "10 Years of Success". The texts for this publication were written by Michael Schmidt, CEO of the Delegate Office, Dr. Volker Treier, deputy director general of the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Nebojsa Ciric, minister of economy and regional development in the Serbian government, Dr. Filip Rosler, the German federal minister of economy and technology, and Wolfram Maas, the German ambassador to Serbia.