We are very satisfied as an Austrian company, because Austrian companies are welcomed and recognized as preferred partners in the implementation of projects. In the last decade, Bluewaters has witnessed the changes in business operations in Serbia. We hope that Serbia will become the candidate for EU membership this year which will open additional chapters of pre-accession assistance and enable Serbia to implement environmental infrastructural projects and we hope that we and our partners will have an opportunity to transfer knowledge and experience which Austria undoubtedly possesses in this field. An important part of the investor’s decision to enter a certain market represents the quality of work force as well as its price. In Serbia there is educated work force and the labor costs are lower than in the neighboring EU member states.
Serbia-business.eu:Â Bluewaters is one of the first consultancy firms from Austria which started business in Serbia. Can you tell us more about the experience from your start up and from that perspective in what manner the business environment improved?Â
Bluewaters’ experience in Serbia is very positive. From the very beginning, we successfully cooperate with the Government of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and local self-governments. They have given us a lot of support in the implementation of projects of common interest. Unfortunately, some of these projects are stopped or interrupted because legislation in Serbia was late, then the economic crisis has affected both partners from Serbia and partners from Austria and prolonged some of these projects.
Nevertheless, it is much easier to make decisions today, get an incentive and start new business activities in Serbia than it was ten years ago.
We are very satisfied as an Austrian company because Austrian companies are welcomed and recognized as preferred partners in the implementation of projects. Seriousness in the approach to work, possession of know-how especially in the field of ecology and energy efficiency, consistency in work, respect of agreements are just some of the qualities recognized in Austrian partners.Â
There is always room for improvement from both sides, but it is important that both sides are persistent in their activities that lead to this direction.
This is a good opportunity to thank the Government of Vojvodina and the Government of Styria for their trust showed to our company when it comes to cooperation on projects of importance for the two regions. We will continue to try to justify their trust and make easier networking between economic entities and institutions in the implementation of projects of importance for both regions and countries.
Complete interview can be found in Executive Interviews section, LINK
