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It is worth billions of dollars, and the subject of yesterday’s meetings between the representatives of the DFC and the Serbian authorities was the realization of projects in the field of energy, the transformation industry, ecology and support to small business, which will be funded in part by DFC and agreed to in Washington.
There are five topics on the table. The former are infrastructure projects worth nearly 4 billion euros, of which the priority is the “Highway of Peace”, which would connect Nis and Pristina. Second is the guarantee and financial aid scheme for small and medium-sized companies. There, the DFC would grant a billion dollars in loans, and yesterday, numerous national companies presented their projects to the US side in Belgrade.
The third area is the activities around the Mini-Schengen initiative, which is important news for Serbia, which is the largest exporter in the region and which lost more than 500 million euros in just two years due to the closure of the market for the southern province.
The fourth theme was the conditions for economic development and the fifth was agriculture and support for young farmers.
Infrastructure
The economic cooperation team under the auspices of the two chambers of commerce, with offices in Belgrade and Pristina, will form various special groups, and the Infrastructure Development Group will contribute to the continuation of the construction of the “Highway of Peace”, then to the reconstruction and modernization of the railways. , infrastructure equipment for industrial zones and supply of technology for the production of energy from waste.
Photo: Tanjug / Zoran Žestić
Minister Zorana Mihajlovic spoke with the DFC about the connection with Pristina on a total of four roads over a length of 267 kilometers, worth 3.7 billion euros.
It involves the construction of the Nis – Merdare – Pristina highway, 100 kilometers long, the construction of the Bujanovac – Konculj – Gjilan – Strpce highway of 78 kilometers, then the Raska – Jarinje – Kosovska Mitrovica highway at 61 kilometers, as well as the rehabilitation of the Ribarice – Brnjak – Zubin Potok highway. in the length of 28 kilometers.
Mihajlovic said in the morning that the ministry had formed a team that would work with DFC on projects 24 hours a day.
Small business
Under the Small and Medium Business Guarantee Scheme, DFC will provide $ 1 billion in loans. Serbia, for its part, would cover the risk of the first loss, as Serbian institutions have calculated that we would benefit much more from the 1 billion dollar loan provided by the DFC.
According to the official website, DFC is actually a bank that cooperates with the private sector and finances solutions to the biggest challenges facing developing countries today.
The US institution supports small businesses, women’s entrepreneurship, and technical development by providing direct loans and guarantees to small and medium-sized businesses, in addition to supporting investment funds. Participate in projects in almost 100 countries around the world.
Lithium exploitation
Yesterday it was heard that a working group with a focus on sustainable energy will be formed, and whose projects the DFC could also support financially. As specified, this is a possible support for the opening of a regional power plant based on lithium technology, and the research and exploitation of lithium and other precious minerals.
Photo: Tanjug / Zoran Žestić
Lithium could be Serbian oil, because in the territory of our country there are 10 percent of the world’s reserves of this alkali metal, which is used in the production of batteries and whose demand is constantly growing. Some even call it the “gold of the 21st century”.
Near Loznica, there is one of the largest jadarite deposits in the world, from which lithium is mined, and the mineral reserves in the Adriatic basin in western Serbia are estimated at 136 million tonnes. The jadarite ore deposit is believed to be at 20 other locations in Serbia that extend as far as Zajecar, and the initial research results are even more impressive at those locations.
farming
In the field of agriculture, Serbia will receive support for the entrepreneurship of women and young farmers. The exact amounts were not disclosed, but the Prime Minister presented important information.
– We receive support for the entrepreneurship of women and young farmers in the field of agriculture. Now with the presence of DFC we have access to unlimited funds. How much we will use depends on us and our projects – said Ana Brnabić.
Photo by I. Marinković / Tanjug AP
Otherwise, agriculture will benefit more by establishing a “mini Schengen” in the field of food, because all the barriers related to phytosanitary certificates are being broken.
Glass factory for the entire region
It is also planned to establish a special team for the construction of a glass factory that would supply glass containers to producers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages throughout the region.
Agritourism
A special team will deal with agritourism, in order to explore the possibilities and use the potentials for the development of sustainable tourism based on natural resources of tourist destinations such as Kopaonik, Brezovica and Rugovska klisura.
New meetings during the day
Today, NBS Governor Jorgovanka Tabaković also met with DFC representatives. Separate meetings will follow with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zoran Mihajlovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Djuric and the Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali.
(Flash)
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