By Development Agency of the Republic of Serbia
文｜塞尔维亚共和国开发署 翻译｜王晓波
导读
●经济和政治稳定，政府是可靠的伙伴
●中国在塞尔维亚的投资排名第二
●为什么要在塞尔维亚投资
⬆ Xingyu Automotive Lighting Systems of Nis INVESTMENTp)
Within the last five years, the Republic of Serbia became one of the world’s top investment destinations. The international organizations, international media outlets, and research organizations dealing with foreign direct investments, such as Financial Times and its platform fDi magazine, IBM Global Location trends, and many others, have rated Serbia as the most attractive investment location and the part of the “next wave of preferred locations for companies” in the world and Europe. According to the Financial Times service fDi intelligence, in 2019 and 2020 Serbia was the number 1 in the world and Europe (2020) for the number of the greenfield investment project, the so-called FDI performance rating. Not only the success was made in terms of a number of projects, but the country was able to decrease the unemployment rate from over 25% in 2012 to an unbelievable one-digit score (9.8%) in 2021.
The major success driver was the fact that FDI projects in the recent period have created new job opportunities. As IBM’s Global Location Trends report said once, for a country of its size Serbia has made extraordinary results in creating new jobs through FDI – in 2017, 2018, and 2019 country held the title of World Number 1 when it comes to the number of estimated jobs created from FDI per million inhabitants.
Investors from all over the world are present here, with names such as Bosch, Michelin, Siemens, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – Stellantis, Microsoft, ZF, Yazaki, Brose, Toyo Tires, Panasonic, Cooper Tires, Tarkett, Ling Long, Nestle, MTU Aero Engines, NCR, Magna, Continental, Bizerba, Hansgrohe, Eaton, Stada, Swarovski, Mei Ta, Gorenje, Schneider Electric, Nidec, Adient, Minth, Johnson Controls, Johnson Electric, Leoni, Barry Callebaut…
The reason why they have chosen Serbia for doing business and investing sums up to the country’s economic and political stability, an optimal geographic location that serves as a gateway between the East and the West, highly competitive operating costs and tremendous talent pool, all followed by the great support either non-financial or financial of the Government.
Economic & Political Stability and a Government as a Reliable Partner
Impressive results in attracting foreign direct investment projects (FDI) are a natural outcome of the comprehensive reforms the country is undertaking, as well as a responsible, accountable, and stable approach to leading the country by the Government of the Republic of Serbia. The Government shows continuity and tries to deliver the most predictable environment for doing business. From the investors’ perspective, it is crucial to have a good business environment and a reliable partner when they are searching for the ideal investment location. A predictable system, professional and efficient public administration and public institutions, and openness for cooperation toward mutual goals – economic development and growth, are something that Serbian Government and its institutions are. More than that, hundreds of investment projects would not be possible to achieve without the highly dedicated and trustworthy partner which investors have in the Government, as well as the cabinet of the President of the Republic of Serbia. Both institutions have a willingness to listen and work together for the best outcomes, and investors appreciate this friendly approach. The Government has made an effort in the last 10 years to improve economic parameters and create a business environment that attracts new business opportunities. Through comprehensive reforms of the fiscal system, a broad range of law changes, reaching remarkable GDP growth rates for years now, lowering the inflation and decreasing the unemployment rate, improving the labor status, as well as the education system, health care system, and so forth, Serbian Government has shown sharp focus on growth and future. And, investors from all over the world recognize that. In 2021 Serbia once again showed extraordinary results when it comes to the attraction of foreign direct investments (FDI) reaching 3.863 billion euros of FDI. This is even higher than the record in 2019 when we had 3.815 billion euros of FDI. Nevertheless, the trust of the investors was best shown within the challenging 2020, when the entire world was facing drops in the economy in general, especially in direct investments. In 2020, not a single investor has canceled its announced project in Serbia, but some have also expanded their activities and new investors have also decided to start a business here. That is how Serbia maintained its leadership position when it comes to FDI even in the crisis, accomplishing 3.039 billion euros of FDI in 2020.
Investments from China are The 2Nd Largest in Serbia
The People’s Republic of China and the Republic of Serbia have demonstrated what impressive relations between the two countries truly mean. The iron-clad friendship between the two countries has grown through the years and has became the best example of mutual support, understanding, and care. Our two nations have enhanced great relationships even more during the Covid-19 pandemic, showing to each other solidarity and support. During these difficult times for the entire globe, we have witnessed that the People’s Republic of China is our sincere friend. This iron-clad friendship will emerge even more unbreakable after being tested by various risks and challenges in the recent period. Serbia is a part of the Belt and Road Initiative, which helps the faster and better development of the country’s infrastructure. Many of the undergoing and important infrastructural projects in Serbia, such as the reconstruction of the railways and construction of the roads and bridges are being done in close collaboration with Chinese partners within this Initiative.
In terms of investments, friendship is far more visible. More than 20 companies from China are operating in Serbia, employing over 21.000 people. China is the second biggest country-investor in Serbia with the total investments coming from Chinese companies of €3.176 billion, since 2010. In 2021 FDI from China was €774 million, and in the first 3 months of the current year €243.3 million.
Some of the biggest Chinese investments and names in Serbia are Zijin mining, Linglong Tire, Minth Group, Hisense Group/Gorenje, He Steel/HBIS Group, Diplon, Healthcare Europe, Ningbo Jifeng, Best Resources International/Eurofiber. There are also the Bank of China, Johnson Electric, HNA Aviation/SR Technics, Yanfeng, Meita, Xingyu Lightning, and others…
Zijin Mining, the mining and energy company, is present in Serbia since 2018 when it took over 63% of the ownership in RTB Bor decapitalizing 350 million dollars at that time. The Serbia Zijin Copper DOO deals with the research and exploitation of copper ore, whose processing produces high-quality cathode copper and precious metals in the smelter. It is the only producer of copper and precious metals (gold and silver) in Serbia. Zijin has invested over 1.2 billion euros in Serbia so far and employs 6.073 people. In 2021 and 2020 Zijin Bor Cooper was the largest exporter in Serbia.
Ling Long Tire is globally among the top 20 largest tire producers. The Shandong Linglong Tyre Co., Ltd. is a specialized and large-scale technology-oriented tire manufacturer. The company came to Serbia in 2019 when it started the construction of its production plant in the City of Zrenjanin. The company has decided to invest over 800 million euros in a manufacturing plant in Serbia and plans to employ around 1.200 workers.
MINTH Group, a leader in the design, production, and sales of both structural and decorative vehicle components, decided to start its business in Serbia in 2019. This is one of the largest investments in Serbia which produces components for battery housings for electric vehicles, as well as decorative aluminium elements for car bodies. The investment of 170 million euros in Serbia opened more than 1.100 new jobs. The Grand opening of the production plant was in March 2022, in the Municipality of Loznica where the production is located.
The world’s leading manufacturer of turbocharger housings, Mei Ta Group, is also one of the investors present in Serbia. The first project in Serbia Mei Ta started in 2015 for casting and machining of parts for the automotive industry, and afterward started expansion of plant for the production of turbocharger housings, targeting over 124 million euros of investment in Serbia with current 2.767 employees.
Why Invest in Serbia
As already mentioned, political and economic stability and continuity are essential bases for attracting new investments and the first steps for investors to consider Serbia as a place to start their business. Without a doubt, investors have underlined this a quality the Republic of Serbia certainly has, and that is the reason why many already present investors decide to reinvest and expand their activities in Serbia.
Apart from that, success in attracting the FDI in the last years followed by the tremendous experience we as a country have regarding cooperation with investors, implementation of big projects, and facilitation of the projects gives extra value to the quality and speed of the realization of the investment projects. Nowadays, the Government team that is dedicated to foreign investments, works promptly on every project, and follows it from the initial step (expressing the interest in investing) until the final phase when the project has been already implemented and the company starts operating in Serbia. This process is done in close in collaboration with all relevant institutions in the country. Not only that, even when the project is finalized, the Development Agency of Serbia, as a lead investments-related Government Agency, supports companies through a sort of aftercare services. We stay in touch with all the investors and try to act as a bridge between the private sector and Government institutions.
What has become the most important to investors nowadays is the fact that in Serbia they can count on highly qualified human resources. The top-performing talent pool relies on a successful and well-organized educational system, which includes combination of public and private schools, universities, and faculties. In Serbia, we have 8 public universities and 82 public faculties, 10 private universities and 47 faculties, and the entire system has a strong background in engineering, IT, physics, and mathematics. Out of 242,550 active students, around 35% are STEM students.
Additionally, Serbia is the first and only country in this part of Europe with dual education legal framework based on the German and Swiss models and definite winner of dual education system implementation in Europe. Currently, over 900 companies from different sectors have already taken part in this program. When it comes to foreign languages proficiency, Serbian people are among the first 15 in the world with the High Proficiency Score.
Moreover, Serbia offers competitive operating costs if investors decide to set their business here. For example, corporate profit tax is 15%, which is, lower than some of the countries in this part of Europe, like Romania (16% corporate tax rate), Slovenia (19%), or the Czech Republic (19%). We are witnessing the rising demand for office space all over Europe and an increase in the costs of real estate rentals. In Serbia, the construction of real estate is booming, especially in the capital city, and in bigger cities, office spaces are being built. The prices of office space in Serbia are far more attractive than in countries of the EU. Additionally, labor costs on an average basis also are more competitive than in EU countries such as Romania, Hungary, or Slovakia. If you add competitive utility fees (electricity, gas, water) there is one more reason to consider where to invest.
Serbia’s optimal geographic location keeps you close to your customers with the ability to serve most EU markets by road in less than 24 hours. Many focal points of central Europe can be reached within just one day. The country has been investing and working on the infrastructural projects that enable connection and faster transport of people and goods – highways and motorways, reconstruction of the fast railway Belgrade-Budapest, construction of Belgrade metro…
Setting the business in Serbia, an investor gets the opportunity to connect with a wide range of customers, potential co-operators, and markets due to the optimal geographical location of the country and different free-trade agreements Serbia has signed. Externally, Serbia can serve as a manufacturing hub for duty-free exports to a market of more than 1.3 billion people that includes the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, USA, Japan, Australia, South East Europe, the European Free Trade Agreement members, and Turkey. This customs-free regime covers most key industrial products, with only a few exceptions and annual quotas for a limited number of goods.
In Serbia, companies can have an additional benefit from the possibility to operate within the designed industrial zones. Such zones offer advantages such as a streamlined process for obtaining land, favorable geographic locations, and ready-to-use infrastructure. Currently, 15 of those industrial zones are also licensed free customs zones: Pirot, Subotica, Zrenjanin, FAS Kragujevac, Sumadija Kragujevac, Sabac, Novi Sad, Uzice, Smederevo, Svilajnac, Krusevac, Apatin, Vranje, Priboj, and Belgrade.
Last, but not least in Serbia investors can expect diverse types of benefits that include a combination of both financial and non-financial benefits and incentives. To offset initial capital investments and set the start-up of business endeavors, the Government of Serbia offers financial support for projects in the manufacturing sector, and the services if subject to international trade. Besides that, investors can apply for different tax benefits, reliefs related to R&D activities, employees and foreign staff, incentives for new employees and training, and so forth.
Serbia has grown into one of the most popular investment destinations in the world. Today we are talking about the over 3 billion euros of FDI each year and recognizable brands who decide to set and grow their business exactly in Serbia. A major part of the FDIs come from Germany, Italy, China, the USA, France, Austria, and Turkey. Some of the most popular industries are the automotive industry, Electronics, and electrical sector, the machinery and equipment industry, the ICT sector that is blooming, the agro-food industry, and construction.
It is more and more often that investors decide to establish not only manufacturing activities here but to develop and create innovation and new products in Serbia. We are proud to witness and support the high-tech projects that bring the latest technology solutions to Serbia and state-of-art solutions. Implementation of high technologies, digital and smart solutions, along with the development of innovation in Serbia is the country’s goal, as we are oriented towards future and faster economic and technological developmen
在过去五年里，塞尔维亚共和国已成为世界上最大的投资目的地之一。关注外国直接投资的国际组织、国际媒体和研究机构，如《金融时报》及其平台fDi杂志、IBM全球位置趋势等，都已将塞尔维亚评为世界和欧洲最具吸引力的投资地点，并认为其是“下一波公司首选地点”之一。根据英国《金融时报》fDi情报机构的报道，2019年和2020年，塞尔维亚绿地投资项目的数量在世界和欧洲（2020年）均排名第一，即所谓的外国直接投资业绩评级。塞尔维亚不仅在许多项目上取得了成功，而且这使国家的失业率从2012年的超过25%降至2021年令人难以置信的个位数（9.8%）。
取得成功的主要驱动因素是，在最近一段时期，外国直接投资的项目创造了新的就业机会。正如IBM的全球位置趋势报告曾指出的那样，对于一个规模像塞尔维亚这样的国家来说，它在通过外国直接投资创造新的就业机会方面确实取得了非凡的成就——2017年、2018年和2019年，在估算每百万居民中外国直接投资所提供的就业岗位数量时，塞尔维亚一直位居世界第一。
来自世界各地的投资者都云集这里，包括博世、米其林、西门子、菲亚特克莱斯勒汽车公司的斯特兰蒂斯集团、微软、采埃孚、矢崎、博泽、东洋轮胎、松下、库珀轮胎、得嘉、玲珑、雀巢、MTU航空发动机公司、NCR公司、玛格纳、大陆集团、碧彩、汉斯格维、伊顿、斯塔达药厂、施华洛世奇、美达、戈伦杰、施耐德电气、尼得科、安道拓、敏实、江森自控、强生电气、莱尼、百乐嘉利保等。他们选择塞尔维亚经商和投资的主要原因包括塞尔维亚的经济和政治稳定、位于东西方门户的最佳地理位置、极具竞争力的运营成本和庞大的人才库，而且所有这些又都得到了政府的大力支持，无论是财政支持还是非财政支持。
⬆ 敏实集团在塞尔维亚洛兹尼察兴建的工厂
经济和政治稳定，政府是可靠的伙伴
在吸引外国直接投资项目方面之所以能取得令人印象深刻的成果，是塞尔维亚共和国正在进行的全面改革的自然结果，同时也得益于政府在治理国家时所采取的负责任、敢担当和非常稳定的方法。政府的政策表现出连续性，并且努力创造最可预测的营商环境。从投资者的角度看，在寻找理想的投资地点时，拥有良好的营商环境和可靠的合作伙伴至关重要。一个可预测的体系、专业高效的公共行政和公共机构，以及对实现共同目标——经济繁荣和增长——而进行合作的开放性，是塞尔维亚政府及其机构的特点。此外，如果投资者在政府以及塞尔维亚共和国总统内阁中没有找到高度敬业和值得信赖的合作伙伴，数百个投资项目也不可能实现。这两个机构都愿意倾听投资者的意愿并与之共同努力，以取得最佳结果，因此投资者对这种友好的工作方式都非常赞赏。政府在过去十年里努力完善经济规范，旨在打造一个能够吸引新商业机会的营商环境。通过采取全面改革财政制度、广泛修改法律、确保多年来GDP的显著增长、降低通货膨胀率和失业率及改善劳动状况、教育系统和医疗保健系统等举措，塞尔维亚政府一直以来都极其清晰明确地聚焦发展和未来。世界各地的投资者们都对此予以认可。2021，塞尔维亚在吸引外国直接投资方面再次取得了非凡的成绩，吸引到的外国直接投资达到38.63亿欧元。这甚至高于2019年的记录，当时的外国直接投资额是38.15亿欧元。不过，最能体现投资者信任度的是充满挑战的2020年，当时整个世界都面临着总体经济下滑，特别是在直接投资方面。2020年，没有一个投资者取消了其在塞尔维亚宣布的投资项目，而且一些投资者还扩大了范围，新的投资者也决定在这里创办企业。这就使得塞尔维亚在外国直接投资方面始终保持领先地位，即使在危机时期，塞尔维亚在2020年也获得了30.39亿欧元的外国直接投资。
中国在塞尔维亚的投资排名第二
中华人民共和国和塞尔维亚共和国之间的关系充分印证了令人敬佩的关系的真正含义。多年来，两国之间的铁杆友谊不断发展，成为相互支持、理解和关心的最佳范例。新冠疫情爆发后，我们两国良好的关系得到进一步加强，彼此互相声援和帮助。在全世界面临困难的时刻，我们见证了中华人民共和国是我们真诚的朋友。在经历了近期各种风险和挑战的考验后，这种铁杆友谊将变得更加牢不可破。塞尔维亚是“一带一路”倡议的成员国，该倡议有助于塞尔维亚的基础设施得到更快更好的发展。塞尔维亚正在进行的许多重要基础设施项目，比如铁路重建、公路和桥梁的建设等，都是在该倡议框架内与中国伙伴密切合作实现的。
在投资方面，两国友谊彰显得更为明显。20多家中国公司正在塞尔维亚运营，雇佣的员工超过21000人。中国是塞尔维亚第二大投资国，自2010年以来，中国公司的投资总额达到31.76亿欧元。2021年，来自中国的外国直接投资为7.74亿欧元，今年前3个月是2.433亿欧元。
中国在塞尔维亚的一些最大的投资包括紫金矿业、玲珑轮胎、敏实集团、海信集团/戈伦杰、河钢集团、迪普隆、欧洲医疗、宁波继峰和国际最佳资源/欧洲纤维。此外还有中国银行、强生电气、海航航空/瑞士航空技术公司、雁峰集团、美达集团、星宇闪电等。
紫金矿业是一家矿业和能源公司，自2018年以来，一直在塞尔维亚运营，当时该公司用3.5亿美元的资金收购了RTB Bor 铜冶炼厂63%的股权。塞尔维亚紫金铜公司从事铜矿石的研究和开发，其加工过程可以产出高质量的电解铜和贵金属。它是塞尔维亚唯一的铜和贵金属（金和银）生产商。紫金矿业迄今在塞尔维亚的投资已超过12亿欧元，拥有当地员工6073人。2020年和2021年，紫金博尔铜矿是塞尔维亚最大的出口商。
玲珑轮胎是全球最大的20家轮胎生产商之一。山东玲珑轮胎有限公司是一家专业化、规模化的技术型轮胎生产企业。该公司于2019年来到塞尔维亚，开始在兹伦贾宁市建造生产厂。该公司已决定对塞尔维亚的一家制造厂投资8亿多欧元，并计划雇用约1200名当地工人。
敏实集团是汽车结构和车辆装饰部件在设计、生产和销售领域的引领者，2019年它决定在塞尔维亚建厂。这是塞尔维亚获得的最大投资之一，它为电动汽车生产蓄电池外壳部件和为车身生产装饰铝件。1.7亿欧元的投资为塞尔维亚创造了1100多个新工作岗位。生产厂于2022年3月在洛兹尼卡市盛大开业。
世界领先的涡轮增压器壳体制造商美达集团也是塞尔维亚的投资者之一。美达在塞尔维亚的第一个项目始于2015年，当时工厂负责用于汽车行业零件的铸造和加工，之后它开始扩建工厂，生产涡轮增压器壳体。它的目标是在塞尔维亚投资1.24亿欧元，现有当地员工2767人。
为什么要在塞尔维亚投资
如前所述，政治经济的稳定和持续性是吸引新投资的重要基础，也是投资者将塞尔维亚作为创办企业之地的首要考虑。毫无疑问，投资者们都很看重塞尔维亚所具有的这一特点，这也是许多已经在这里兴业的投资者决定再投资和扩大其经营活动的原因。
此外，过去几年成功吸引外国直接投资的现实，再加上我们国家在与投资者合作、实施大型项目和促进项目便利化方面的丰富经验，也为投资项目的落实从质量和速度上赢得了额外的价值。如今，致力于外国投资的政府团队在处理每一个项目时都非常迅速，并会从一开始（投资者表现出投资兴趣）一直跟踪到项目落实并开始在塞尔维亚正式运营。这一过程是与国家所有相关机构密切合作完成的。不仅如此，即使项目最终已经正常运营，塞尔维亚开发署作为与投资相关的政府机构，仍会以售后服务的方式为公司继续提供支持。我们会与所有投资者保持联系，并努力充当私营企业与政府机构之间的桥梁。
现在，在塞尔维亚，对投资者来说，最重要的是他们可以充分利用这里高素质的人力资源。表现优秀的人才库依靠的是一个成功且组织良好的教育体系，包括公立和私立学校、大学和学院的结合。在塞尔维亚，我们有8所公立大学和82所公立学院，10所私立大学和47所私立学院，整个系统在工程、信息技术、物理和数学领域都有很强的背景。在242550名在校学生中，约35%的学生所学的专业属于科学、技术、工程和数学。
此外，塞尔维亚是欧洲这一区域第一个也是唯一一个拥有双重教育框架的国家，它是建立在德国和瑞士模式基础上的，因此塞尔维亚一定是欧洲实施双重教育制度的赢家。目前，来自不同行业的900多家公司已经加入了这一方案。就外语熟练水平而言，塞尔维亚是世界上最早获得高熟练度分数的15个国家之一。
此外，如果投资者决定在塞尔维亚开展业务，塞尔维亚会提供具有竞争力的运营成本。举例来讲，塞尔维亚的公司利润税是15%，低于欧洲这一区域的一些国家，比如罗马尼亚（16%）、斯洛文尼亚（19%）和捷克共和国（19%）。我们看到整个欧洲对办公空间的需求不断增长，地产租赁的成本也在持续上涨。但在塞尔维亚，房地产建设正在蓬勃发展，特别是在首都。在较大的城市，办公空间也正在建设中。塞尔维亚写字楼的价格远比欧盟国家更具吸引力。而且劳动力的平均成本也比罗马尼亚、匈牙利和斯洛伐克等欧盟国家更具竞争力。在考虑投资时，还有一个因素不容错过，那就是塞尔维亚的公用事业费用（电、气、水）也颇具竞争力。
塞尔维亚所处的最佳地理位置可以使你与客户保持密切联系，并且能够在24小时内通过公路为大多数欧盟市场提供服务。中欧的许多聚集点可以在一天内抵达。塞尔维亚一直在投资和开发基础设施项目，以实现人流和货流的连接和快速运输，包括建设公路和高速公路、重建贝尔格莱德与布达佩斯之间的快速铁路和修建贝尔格莱德地铁等。
由于塞尔维亚优越的地理位置和它签署的各种自由贸易协议，因此当投资者在塞尔维亚开展业务时，他们有机会与更多的客户、潜在合作者以及市场建立联系。对外，塞尔维亚就是一个制造业中心，可以向超过13亿人口的市场提供免税出口，其中包括欧盟、欧亚经济联盟、美国、日本、澳大利亚、东南欧、欧洲自由贸易协定成员国和土耳其。免关税政策涵盖了大多数关键工业产品，只有少数例外，还有一些数量有限的货物需要年度配额。
在塞尔维亚，如果公司在专门设计的产业园内经营的话，还可以享受到更多的益处。这些产业园具有诸如获得土地的简化流程、有利的地理位置和现成的基础设施等优势。目前，这些产业园中有15个是获得许可的自由关税区：皮罗、苏博蒂察、兹伦亚宁、FAS Kragujevac、Sumadija Kraguyevac、Sabac、Novi Sad、Uzice、Smederevo、Svilajnac、Krusevac、Apatin、Vranje、Priboj和贝尔格莱德。
最后，但并非不重要的是，在塞尔维亚，投资者可以预期各种类型的利益，包括财务和非财务利益和激励措施的组合。为了弥补初始资本投资和初创企业的商业活动，塞尔维亚政府会为制造业项目和与国际贸易相关的服务提供财政支持。除此以外，投资者还可以申请不同的税收优惠，以及与研发活动、员工和外籍员工、新员工激励和培训等相关的减免。
塞尔维亚已经成为世界上最受欢迎的投资目的地之一。现在我们拥有每年超过30亿欧元的外国直接投资，以及决定在塞尔维亚成立和发展业务的知名品牌。外国直接投资的主要部分来自德国、意大利、中国、美国、法国、奥地利和土耳其。一些最受欢迎的行业是汽车行业、电子和电气行业、机械和设备行业、正在蓬勃发展的信息和通讯技术行业、农产品行业和建筑业。
投资者越来越多地决定不仅要在塞尔维亚从事制造业，还要在这里创新和开发新产品。我们非常自豪地见证并支持为塞尔维亚带来最新技术和最先进解决方案的高科技项目。塞尔维亚的目标是实施高科技、数字和智能解决方案，同时鼓励创新发展，因为我们要面向未来，必须加快经济和技术发展。