On 31 January, Belgrade hosted the Business Forum as part of Italy's development diplomacy strategy, attended by more than 500 Italian and Serbian entrepreneurs — a sign of growing interest in strengthening ties between the Italian and Serbian markets, bringing the business communities of the two countries closer together and creating new investment opportunities.
This was also the third visit to Serbia by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani — following his visits in November 2022, immediately after taking office, and in March 2023 — showing the great attention the Italian government continues to pay to the Balkans, a key region for the stability of the entire European continent.
After the opening speeches, business representatives attended a panel dedicated to financial instruments supporting the internationalisation of business. The forum also hosted three sectoral round tables with experts from Serbia and Italy:
- First round table: Circular economy and energy transition
- Second round table: Sustainable agriculture and Industry 5.0
- Third round table: Physical and digital infrastructure
The aim of this business meeting was to present current projects to investors for further investment in these areas and to open a constructive discussion among industry representatives, companies and decision-makers.