IFC Interested in Regional Development Cooperation

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is interested in providing support and cooperation in the preparation of strategic frameworks in the field of regional development, stated Ary Naim, the regional manager for Central and Southeast Europe at the IFC. He added that the IFC was oriented toward investing in projects in the fields of renewable energy sources, industrial parks, as well as projects in the field of environmental protection and support to small and medium enterprises in the agricultural sector.

In his conversation with Naim, the minister without a portfolio in the Government of Serbia in charge of an evenly distributed regional development, Edin Djerlek, expressed his satisfaction over Serbia’s cooperation with this finance institution, which is a member of the World Bank Group and the biggest global development institution oriented toward the implementation of activities in emerging countries, as announced on the website of the Government of Serbia.

The topics of the conversation were the frameworks of cooperation and support to primarily the insufficiently developed parts of Serbia, but also the private sector as the carrier of the process of regional development.

The minister estimated that the contribution of the IFC to the development of the Serbian economy was extremely important and pointed out that the positive ratings by the most credible global finance institutions were the best indicator of the progress that Serbia had made in the field of economy.

Talking about the frameworks of cooperation in the coming period, he said that determining the state in the field and the preparation of the methodology and the all-encompassing strategy of regional development were in progress, so as to adequately determine the needs, but also the potentials of the local self-governments and regions.

Djerlek also talked to the IFC representatives about the implementation of the Smart Specialization Strategy, which is an all-encompassing agenda for economic transformation and support to key national investments and regional priorities and which aims to stimulate development based on knowledge and regional potentials.

Kabinet ministra bez portfelja zaduženog za ravnomerni regionalni razvoj Republike Srbije

IFC

Edin Đerlek

Ary Naim

regional development cooperation