In the newly published special report „European Cities and Regions of the Future 2020/21“, fDi intelligence ranked among Top 10, in several categories, Serbian cities such as Niš, Leskovac, Kragujevac, Subotica, Zrenjanin, Novi Sad and Šabac. Cities were listed as one of the (small, micro and mid-sized) European cities of the future, regarding strategy FDI and cost-effectiveness.

The City of Niš is ranked 6th among Top 10 small European cities of the future 2020/2021, by strategy FDI criteria, and city of Šabac, by the same criteria, is 10th  best as a micro European city of the future.

Moreover, when it comes to the medium-sized cities of the future, and criteria of cost-effectiveness, the city of Novi Sad took impressive 2nd place, right behind Chisinau, the capital of Moldova ranked 1st.

As listed in fDi intelligence ranking, 5 of out 10 small European cities of the future in the terms of cost-effectiveness, are actually Serbia cities: Leskovac (2nd place), Niš (5th), Kragujevac (6th), Subotica (8th), and Zrenjanin (9th). 

Besides the cities, Report mentions and ranks the best and the brightest European regions, as an investment destination. According to that, in the Top 10 Small European Regions of the Future 2020/21 are Srem district, by criteria cost-effectiveness, and Region of Niš by the strategy FDI criteria.

fDi мagazine is a division of the Financial Times - news and foreign direct investment (FDI) publication, providing an up-to-date review of global investment activity. To create a shortlist for fDi’s European Cities and Regions of the Future 2020/21, the fDi Intelligence division of the Financial Times collected data using the specialist online FDI tools – fDi Benchmark and fDi Markets, as well as other sources.

Last year, this FT division, in its annual study looking at inbound greenfield investment in 2018 relative to the size of each country’s economy, has ranked Serbia as the number one in the world at the Greenfield FDI Performance Index 2019. A study pointed out, Serbia`s index score has improved by 1.33 index points, and although the country’s GDP growth was high in 2018 (14.8%), it received 107 FDI projects – 26 more than 2017 – growing by almost one-third.