“Good news for our country”: Nine Hungarian companies will invest 75 million euros in Serbia

Mali and Sijarto also spoke about mutual cooperation in large infrastructure projects.

Minister Sijarto conveyed to Minister Mali that Hungary supported nine national companies with 25 million euros to invest in Serbia. As pointed out, the value of total investments will be three times higher, that is, between 75 and 80 million euros.

These companies will invest in logistics centers, the pharmaceutical industry, fruit processing and the metal processing industry, with an emphasis on central and southern Serbia.

With regard to Vojvodina, it will continue with the Economic Development Project, which includes support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Mali pointed out that the arrival of nine Hungarian companies in Serbia is great news for our country and a good sign from the Government of Hungary, especially in the conditions of the coronavirus pandemic.

He added that he will hold a joint meeting with representatives of all the companies, so that they can start working in Serbia as soon as possible. The interlocutors also discussed the cooperation between Serbia and Hungary in large infrastructure projects, with special emphasis on the modernization of the railway between Subotica and Szeged, which is a key project for the population of that part of the two countries.

As agreed, all necessary activities will be undertaken as soon as possible so that construction can begin as soon as possible and so that everything is finished by mid-2022.

The theme of the meeting was the completion of the reconstruction of the National Theater of Subotica, for which, according to Minister Siniša Mali, the Government of Serbia will allocate 300 million dinars, as much as the Provincial Government will invest in it. The interlocutors agreed that the project is of great importance for both nations and for both countries.

The interlocutors agreed that both countries responded to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic with a comprehensive and complete package of economic measures, thereby saving their economies. As noted by Minister Mali, this is also demonstrated by international financial institutions, which praised the way Serbia is fighting the pandemic, as well as the macroeconomic results.

Mali noted that Serbia’s public debt is under control at the level of 57 percent of GDP, that the Ministry of Finance’s projection is that economic growth at the end of the year will be -1 percent, but that he believes it may be at the same level as last year, and that unemployment is at a historically low level of -7.3 percent.

Minister Sijarto confirmed that Serbia, if economic growth is at last year’s level, will be the champion in Europe.

Peter Sijarto and Siniša Mali concluded that the investment of Hungarian investors and new infrastructure projects will connect the two nations and the two countries even more deeply, and will strengthen the good relations initiated by the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, and the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban.