It Is Time To Focus On Business

My main priority as Ambassador of Denmark will be to support Danish exporters and investors coming to Serbia. An increase in trade and investments is to the benefit of all in our two countries. Another ambition of mine is to follow up on last year’s 100-year celebrations with even more activities in culture and public diplomacy.

H.E. ANDERS CHRISTIAN HOUGÅRD Ambassador Of Denmark To Serbia

One of the main ambitions of H.E. Anders Christian Hougård, Ambassador of Denmark to Serbia is to increase trade relations between Serbia and Denmark.

Why are the trade figures modest today? — I consider it a good sign when bilateral assistance yields way to trade: it means the economy is recovering so foreign missions and organizations can redirect their attention to support its development. Denmark has had a range of development programs in Serbia – from Fruits and Berries agro project to Media freedom initiative. Now is the time to focus on the development of the business sector and, especially SMEs.

According to our data for 2016, Denmark’s exports of goods to Serbia was worth around 122 million Euro, while we imported Serbian goods in the value of around 52 million Euro. Danish economy is specific and very SME-driven. We all know of course the big Danish companies, such as Carlsberg, Novo Nordisk, Grundfos, but in Denmark SMEs employ around 2/3 of the working population!

As they can rarely compete with big players, they tend to find their niches – usually high-tech or innovative ones, and their solutions are not applicable in all the markets.

With the development of the Serbian economy, we see that those niche solutions are more and more relevant here as well, so I expect an increase in trade figures in the years to come. Also, more and more Serbian companies will have their own innovative solutions to offer in a single EU market, including also Denmark. By trading with the EU, your country has a big advantage of accessing the single market, but it will also encourage it and the local companies to innovate constantly and become more competitive.

How many Danish companies currently do business in Serbia and which sectors do they occupy?