Since 2007, the Republic of Serbia has attracted more than 42 billion euros of direct foreign investment. Since the beginning of economic reforms, Serbia has become one of the most attractive locations for investment in Central and Eastern Europe. Serbia was chosen by leading global investors and successful global and multinational companies from different domains of the business realm. The largest investments are in the automotive sector, as much as 17%, followed by investments in agriculture, food and beverage production 15.2%, then the textile industry 7.5%, electrical engineering and electronics 6.2%, construction 5%, machinery and equipment 4.7%, wood and furniture 4.3%.

Investments come from different countries of the world. According to the data of the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) from 2023, the following five countries have the largest share of investments: Germany 13.5%, Italy 11.7%, USA 10.9%, Russia 10.9%, and China 10.5%.

Investing in the Republic of Serbia is becoming more and more attractive due to free trade agreements with countries that have 2.8 billion consumers, including China.

The agreement with China includes 10,412 products from Serbia and 8,930 from China, and with it one group of products will be exempted from paying customs duties on the date of entry into force of this agreement, for some groups of products this will happen in tranches of 5, 10 or 15 years from the entry into force, and for some products customs duties will remain in force. In this way, businesspersons from Serbia are enabled to place goods and services duty-free, i.e. under preferential conditions.

Some of the prominent reasons for deciding to invest in the Republic of Serbia are as follows:

• Agreements on mutual promotion and protection of investments. The Republic of Serbia has signed agreements on mutual promotion and protection of investments with 50 countries,
• Agreements on the avoidance of double taxation. The Republic of Serbia has signed agreements on avoiding double taxation with 64 countries,
• Trade agreements and the generalized system of preferences,
• Free zones,
• Tax incentives,
• State investment incentives,
• Customs benefits.

Read more about the aforementioned reasons in the brochure General advantages for investing in the Republic of Serbia prepared by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS).

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia actively works to support and connect investors through various events and programs. The conference "How to invest wisely", has been taking place every spring for seven years. This conference aims to light the way for businesspersons through the latest information on funding sources, incentives and support programs.

Investing is a complex path and CCIS systematically works to connect businesspersons and open opportunities through various initiatives. Another initiative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia is an opportunity for entrepreneurs from the diaspora and Serbia to connect directly. CCIS initiated the Business Atlas of Serbia and the Diaspora, an online space for direct connection, interaction and cooperation.