In Serbia, the head of the executive power is a woman, and they make up half of the government. Monetary policy is also run by women. Last year, 73 women entrepreneurs received 72 million dinars in non-refundable funds. This year, two and a half billion dinars were set aside to help beginners in business and women entrepreneurs.
They are educated, strong, ambitious, successful, and united even more strongly. When Ivanjica’s “Javor” went bankrupt in 2014, and the workers at the bureau, Ljiljana and Irena joined the severance pay, founded a sewing company and invested new machines in the space and the money received from the Ministry of Economy and the Development Fund. Jobs came, and the number of workers increased to 50.
“In the seventh year of our work, we paid off the first loan, we entered the second investment loan that we invested in the purchase of one space,” says Ljiljana Savić from the company “MDM Fashion”, Ivanjica.
She decided to go to Canada, and then she decided to leave the world of banking, Canada and start a business in Serbia.
“Western countries do not have that kind of support for entrepreneurs where the state gives grants, where the state literally gives you subsidized loans. There you can go to a commercial bank and take out a loan to start a business under commercial conditions,” Nina Rusic told Indiana Belgrade.
According to the research conducted by the Association of Business Women of Serbia for the past two years, out of about 150 respondents, only one company answered that it would close.
“Women’s companies, primarily focused on the local market, are not so dependent on exports, which was again a disadvantage, but in the next period it may be an advantage, because they may not be so sensitive,” said Dr. Sanja Popovic Pantic, president of the Association of Business woman of Serbia.
One of the first programs that the Ministry of Economy announced this year was the program for women entrepreneurs and young people.
“That program goes very quickly, and even if we had a lot more funds, even more would go, but there is simply a shift every day,” adds Andjelka Atanaskovic, the Minister of Economy.
Obviously, we have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go. And not just on March 8th, RTS writes.
