Serbia, a long-term world leader in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI), will present its investment potentials at the first investment conference dedicated to real estate, which will be held on 1 November 2021 within the Third theme week "Urban and Rural Development" at the world exhibition " Expo 2020 Dubai “. The conference "Invest in Serbia: Real Estate" is organized by the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) and the Operational Team for the realization of Serbia's appearance at EXPO Dubai 2020.

Serbian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

Speakers at the investment conference will be Tatjana Matić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Tomislav Momirović, Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure and representatives of the Development Agency of Serbia (RAS) and renowned real-estate companies. The event is expected to be attended by investors and companies from all over the world.

The first of five planned investment conferences during the world's largest exhibition event "Expo 2020 Dubai", will be thematically synchronized with the theme week "Urban and Rural Development" and it is conceived as a place where potential investors will be presented with opportunities to invest in the Serbian real estate sector and especially with trends and opportunities for projects in Serbian cities which have experienced an expansion of the construction and real estate market in recent years.

As one of the industries that have a large share in the GDP of our country with the investments in 2020 amounting to about 400 million euros in 2020, the construction and real estate sectors in Serbia have significant potential for growth and development. In addition, this segment of the economy is closely related to the development of tourism and attracting and promoting Serbia as a tourist attractive destination, so the investment conference dedicated to this topic will present what makes Serbia attractive for investment and strive to further improve the already good diplomatic and economic relations Serbia has with the UAE and other countries, by creating new investment opportunities and partnerships.  

Radoš Gazdić, acting director of RAS, says that Serbia has a proven lead in the region and Southeast Europe when it comes to attracting investment in real estate projects and that this investment conference is an ideal opportunity to present the investment potential and advantages of Serbia. He adds that investors, when deciding to invest, largely value the country's economic and political stability, which Serbia unquestionably has.

"When it comes to investments in construction and real estate development, Serbia records as much as 1.7 times higher volume of investments than the entire region of Southeast Europe, which, per se, positions us very favorably in the eyes of potential investors in this area. In addition to the optimal investment and business climate, for which our country is already well known among foreign investors, the fact that we are proven to be efficient in dealing with building permits is very important to international investors in the real estate segment, with great potential for further development. We have confirmation of that in the fact that Serbia is among the ten countries in the world in terms of the speed of issuing construction permits", explains Gazdić.

In addition to the investment potentials of our cities, and the presentation of some of the proven successes of international real estate investors, such as the Belgrade Waterfront project, which is the largest such project in Southeast Europe spreading over 100 hectares, at the conference, Serbia will focus on building and adapting spa and tourist facilities which are available to investors. With more than 50 spas and climatic places and more than a thousand water sources across the country, Serbia abounds in opportunities for the realization of spa tourism projects.

For several years now, the Republic of Serbia has been the global and European number one when it comes to attracting investments, according to the assessments of renowned foreign organizations, such as the Financial Times and IBM. Foreign investors recognize Serbia as one of the best locations in the world for investment. With its unique geo-strategic position, Serbia is a focal point between East and West, and provides duty-free access to a market of as many as 1.3 billion consumers, with a good business climate and a highly skilled workforce whose qualities are recognized by some of the world's largest multinational corporations that have invested in Serbia.

As part of the comprehensive presentation of Serbia at the world's most prestigious exhibition Expo 2020 Dubai, for 6 months, the Development Agency of Serbia, with the support of the Operational Team for the realization of Serbia's appearance at EXPO Dubai 2020, will organize a total of five investment conferences. In addition to this one, conferences are planned for the presentation of the automotive and chemical industry, ICT sector, wellness and spa potentials, food and agricultural industry, as well as investment potentials in the field of water and renewable energy sources.

Serbia's appearance at "Expo 2020 Dubai" was realized in cooperation with the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia - National Platform Serbia Creates, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, and the Development Agency of Serbia. The topic of the appearance of the Republic of Serbia at the World Exhibition in Dubai is "Serbia creates ideas - Inspired by the past, shaping the future".