The harvest of wheat performed on the area of 484.000 hectares gets into full swing. The yield will amount to on average 3.75 tons per hectare what is enough for the domestic consumption, stocks and exportation. Total output is estimated at 1.85-1.95 million tons. The latest data show that circa 330 000 tons of wheat are at stock, which means that 2.28 million tons are stored in silos. Total domestic consumption amounts to 1.65 million tons, out of which 1.3 is for nutrition, on average 200 000 tons for seed, 100 000 tons for cattle fodder and about 50 000 has been lost during the harvest. Near 25 000 combines, 400 000 tractors and tens of people take part in this harvest.

The wheat quality is better than we expected, humidity about 12 percent what means that there is no need for additional drying and reduces the production costs. The smallest areas sown by wheat have the yield beyond our expectations for years, all those who have stocks of wheat are still unsatisfied as they do not know whether they made profit or not. Namely, they say that the price of 20 RSD per kilogram plus VAT may bring profit only. This price of wheat ensures the stability of the current bread price. It has been discussed with journalists during the harvest caravan in Kikinda and Sombor. These caravans were organized by Chamber of Commerce Vojvodina, Collective Union Vojvodina and the Crop Farming and Vegetable Growing Institute fromNovi Sad.

The Vice-President of Serbian Chamber of Commerce Stojan Jevtic said that this year's harvest is a ''weather gift'' as we have large quantities from small areas sown by wheat. He said that in future the areas of 650 000 to 700 000 are expected to be sown by wheat in Serbia . It means that we will have enough quantities of wheat for domestic consumption and exportation of even million ton. He also emphasized that the producers from the neighbouring countries have bigger stimulations than our agriculturalists. The harvest of wheat is encouraged by 300 or 200 euros per hectare in Croatia and Hungary .

The Director of the Crop farming and Vegetable Growing Institute from Novi Sad Petar Sekulic promised that the Institute will do it best to provide 110 000 tons of quality wheat seed. Serbia needs 200 000 tons of seed annually in order to expand its production of wheat. We have high quality types of wheat, said the academician Srbislav Dencic. He said that our types of wheat reach the record of 14.3 tons per hectare in Greece under the irrigation systems. As soon as the harvest is finished, the autumn sowing starts. We make bread for the next year, added the President of Chamber of Commerce Vojvodina Nikola Stojsic. Wheat must be our strategic issue within the all programmes of the forthcoming government. 

The EU path of Serbia is traced and has no alternative. On the path the overall objective is to adjust Serbian economy to the EU requirements and to be on competitive level. There is still a lot to be done before in order to make it true. Consequently we have to be acquainted with all things happening at micro and macro level in order to prepare ourselves for all forthcoming challenges and changes. We also have to be aware that very hard game is ahead of us at all EU markets. So as to succeed on that road we need new knowledge, products and code of conducting. It has been emphasized by Radmila Milivojevic, Coordinator of the Bureau for cooperation with the European Union within the Serbian Chamber of Commerce at the session of the Board of Directors of the Association of Metal and Electro Industry.

Taking active part in the discussion, Miljko Kokic from Zastava Kragujevac said that we still do not have enough articles made in accordance with the EU standards to be exported to the competitive market. According to the data we produce only half of the quantities we once produced in 1989, said Kokic. According to the Director of Metalac from Gornji Milanovac Petrasin Jakovljevic emphasized that the exhausting and long path to the EU membership is ahead of us. Almost all countries protect their products by no-tariff measures thus becoming more competitive at the market. The Chairman of the Board of the Association of Metal and Electro Industry Milorad Markovic said that the reasons of bad results of economy lie in the fact that policy always prevails over it, instead of vice versa.

Participating in the discussion the Acting of the Secretary of the Association of Metal and Electro Industry within Serbian Chamber of Commerce Miomir Todorovic pointed out that the creation of clusters is not something we must do, but the necessity in the economy of Serbia .

The report on the work of the Association of Metal and Electro Industry indicates that the production scope in the 1Q-2008 is less by 0.15 percent in relation to the same period of the last year. There are very few foreign direct investments in production relating to this commerce branch and giant investments in trade centres on the other hand.       

It was said by the Director of SCC Representative Office in France Vesna Pacail

Recently new established SCC Representative Office in Paris has the aim to enhance bilateral cooperation between Serbia and France , connect business people from both countries, to strengthen export activities and attract French investments to Serbia . We are going to promote the economy of Serbia , its business climate and investment opportunities. I addition, we will provide all necessary logistics support to all economic entities interested for doing a business at the French market, said the Director of SCC Representative Office in France Vesna Pacail in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce. Discussing the possibilities for launching Serbian products at the French market, she emphasized that the French hardly know Serbia as they mostly cooperate with the North African countries due to no-language barriers. Yet, they have been interested for cooperation with the Southeastern European countries in recent time, said Pacail.

France will have the EU Presidency in the next six months, whereas Serbia will be one of the main issues within the agenda. I hope that Serbia will become an EU candidate country by the end of the year, said Pacail.

France is one of the significant foreign trade partners of Serbia . It is among the ten countries Serbia reaches the highest values in foreign trade. The trade deficit is on Serbia side. Total export value in 2007 amounted to 286.3 million USD, whereas the import value was 570 million USD for the same period. In the structure of foreign trade the most dominant products in exports are iron and steel, rubber products, fruit and vegetable, metal products. On the other side the major products in imports are road vehicles, industrial machineries, medicinal and pharmaceutical products. As it was concluded at the meeting, JAT air company is the only company with domestic capital in the country.

However, France ranks the 6th in the global economy and the first in the export of food products and electricity. This Western country in Europe is the leading agricultural producer. France is the most attractive investing destination in the world. The USA is the dominant investor in France . During 2006 total investments in France amounted to 64.6 billion euros, while France invested in other countries in the value of 91.7 billion euros. France is ranked the seventh in Serbia in terms of investments in our country. Over fifty French economic communities are running a business in Serbia in the form of direct investments, branch offices and trade. France financially supported many our state institutions and over 30 million euros invested in projects in terms of education reforms and public administration reorganization.

Chemical leasing enables the change of the dangerous chemical substances for less dangerous or completely harmless. In this way their use is limited and producers and users make bigger profit. At the same time, environment is protected more as pollution ratio is lower than usual.

Discussing it at the gathering in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and organized by a few associations and boards within SCC, Cleaner Production Center and Ministry of Environment, the representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Reinhard Jonas said that companies join the chemical leasing voluntarily, but all projects carried up to now in Austria, Russia, Germany, Mexico and Egypt have shown great and positive results.Serbia won at the competition that UNIDO opened for the implementation of this model in selected companies in Serbia.

This model drives producers and users of chemical substances to cooperate and that is ''winning combination'' as these companies make higher profit and environment gets protected more.

The application of the model has been commenced five years ago in Austria and Germany. All financial assets are granted by UNIDO for the countries in transit and developing countries. Since chemical industry is the biggest generator of pollution in the planet, six years ago in Johannesburg the Declaration was adopted by means of which chemical substances should be produced and consumed in the way that reduces risks to the minimum.

Special programmes concerning environmental protection have been carried out in Serbia by the Cleaner Production Center within the Faculty of Metallurgy. It enables rational use of raw materials, water and energy as well as the change of these ones with the ecologically acceptable chemical substances and reduction of poisons from the waste in water, air and soil. This pilot project has been carried out in Serbia as of 2005 in nine factories including Duga ad, Galenika Phyto-Pharmacy, DCP Hemigal, Carton factory Umka, Hemovet.

The assets for the projects were granted by the Austrian and Slovenian Governments. This model is supposed to be introduced by fifty experts and in fifty companies, said Branko Dunjic, Director of Cleaner Production Center in Serbia,

Pilot projects have many benefits such as invested money is back within a year, saves energy, water and raw materials, clean environment, and makes profit. It has been invested in the amount of total 600 000 euros, whereas savings in water, energy and raw materials amount to 800 000 euros.

Dunjic emphasized that great number of companies interested in these projects and said that Cleaner Production Center will help obtaining integrated permits, the launch of the program for social corporate responsibility, waste management and many others.

According to the conclusions brought at the annual conference committed to the implementation of the EU Charter on Small Enterprises and held in Slovenia at the beginning of June, the European Commission finalised the consultations on the content of a Small Business Act. The Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Enterprise and Industry Gunter Verheunger said that this Act is supposed to be adopted by the European Parliament in autumn.

The document was prepared for a very long time at the level of the EU member states. The interested parties were provided for on-line participation in the adoption process as well as comprehensive analysis. Everybody looks forward to adopting the Act. The main reason for it is that 27 EU member states have over 23 million SMEs what represents 99 percent of European companies having circa 80 million employed persons. On the other hand, SME sector has created 80 percent of new jobs.

Due to it the European Commission decided to adopt the Act as quickly as possible and all that with a view to reducing costs, simplifying red tape procedures, taxation obstacles. The Act is going to have great influence on national legislature in this field and it will be set up as the framework for realisation of Lisbon Strategy so as that companies from the EU could be leading shareholders on the global economic stage. It means being ahead of USA, China, Japan and India. Before the Act was adopted, there had been identified ten essential obstacles in SME sector in the EU such as complex paper work and legislature, the access to financial assets, high taxation rates, lack of  qualified and skillfull human resources and public procurement process. Consequently, in order to solve and eradicate all the aforesaid obstacles for setting up a company, the Act stipulated ten main rules relating to SME sector both at the EU and national level. There are some mechanisms established such as 25 percent simplified paper work by 2012, time for registering a company limited to seven days, licenses with one-stop-shop obligatory.

In 2003 Serbia accessed to the report submission process in accordance with the EU Charter of SMEs and it is harmonized with the EU regulations in almost all aspects of SME sector. Serbia as a future EU candidate country must take into consideration all provisions of the Small Business Act as one of the key regulations the European Commission adopted in this term of office.    

In the first five months of 2008 the export value of agricultural and food products amounted to 709.6 million dollars, while the import value of the same products was 659.9 million dollars, thus surplus in foreign trade was 73.7 million dollars. In that period the export of agricultural and food products grew by 27.3% and import by 15.6%, said an associate at the Centre for Scientific and Research Work within Serbian Chamber of Commerce Vojislav Stankovic.

The major agricultural products in exports for that period were refined sugar from sugar beet in the value of 52.3 million USD (ranking the 11th among the one hundred domestic products by export value); then the Rowland raspberry, frozen , without added sugar in the value of 32.1 million USD; followed by flour made from common wheat in the value of 23.3 million USD; maize grits and semolina in the value of 22.3 million USD; soybean oil, raw, in the value of 21.7 million USD and beer produced from malt in the value of 21.5 million USD. Observed by the sections of the Standard Nomenclature of Activities, fruits and vegetables group of products was ranking the 7th among all the sections of SNA domestic commodity trade, with the export value of 154.8 million USD and the share of 3.4% in total exports of goods.

On the import side, dominant agrarian products by tradition were the ''noncompetitive'' products-raw coffee (37.1 million USD), bananas fresh, other (31.8 million USD) and oranges, sweet, fresh (20.6 million USD).

Positive results of the Serbian agricultural sector in foreign trade were due to the preferential treatment on the EU market; also due to the liberalization of trade with the Western Balkan countries (CEFTA) and finally due to the general state of demand and supply on the world market, which was remaining steady.     

The area of 464 000 hectares is expected to yield on average 1 848 000 wheat, what is less by 0.8 percent then in the last year, but higher by 13.1 percent in relation to the ten-year average. The yield together with the stocks left should be enough for domestic consumption that is estimated at 1.8 million tons. This year's yield of wheat is expected to be quality. The demand of domestic market and obligatory stocks are estimated at 1.5 million tons, whereas the production of seed for further reproduction should amount to 200 000 tons. According to Vojislav Stankovic, an associate at the Centre for scientific and research work within the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, the surplus of wheat that is supposed to be exported should be on average 300 000 tons provided that the last year's stocks exceed 200 000 tons.

As far as other products are concerned, according to the Republican Bureau for Statistics the production of fruit has been reduced in relation to the last year. The output of cherry has been reduced by 6.1%, then cherry sour by 17.3%, raspberry by 0.9% and apricot by 27.3%.

In relation to the last year and according to the yields of spring sowing that was done on the area of over 2.5 million hectares the major crops are maize (4.2%), sunflower (20.4%), soybean (1.5%) and sugar beet (38.4%). If compared with the ten-year review, sunflower was sown by 10.4% less, while maize by 3.4% more, then sugar beet by 33.1% and soybean 22.1%.

The World Bank Institute organized the developing program under the name ''Including sustainable business-creation of market in the developing countries''. It was held in Washington in the period 9-13 June and it lasted until 30 of June due to the conferences held via the Internet and phones. The program was attended by the representatives of the World Bank, IFC, UNDP, OECD and Harvard University as well as the representatives of World Business Council for Sustainable Development, many agencies and financial institutions. The business sector was represented by most significant multinational companies such as Unilever, Nestle and Cemex, Siemens, AG, Chevron, Shell, Allianz, PepsiCo, Sony, British Telecom. The main subjects of the program referred to case studies of giant multinational companies (Unilever, Nestle, Cemex) discussed in the interactive communication between professor from Harvard University and vice-presidents of the aforesaid companies. Apart from these subjects indicating long standing practice of the companies engaged in social corporate responsibility, other subjects referred to the role of financial institutions, developing banks, international organizations in including poor people worldwide into business sector and realising sustainable development.

The influence of global trends and diversity on corporate strategies is the important subject for companies. This is the reason why BOP model was promoted.  The BOP model is based on the principle that there are four billion people whose national economies have GDP below 3 000 dollars. In this case the initiative of companies refers to the integration of these people into business sector thus creating sustainability, partnership and mutual interest. This model wins recognition of business innovations. Unlike the first BOP model 1.0 that was directed toward the developing countries in terms of promotion of goods, services and assistance to local self-governments, BOP model 2.0 wins recognition of business partnership, dialogue and sustainable business.

Shakti model, the one that Unilever carries out in Italy with local farmers, then the project of voluntary house building in Mexico''Patrimonio Hoy'', realised by the third ranked cement producer in the world Cemex are but few examples of good practice worldwide when it comes to BOP strategy.  

Krusevac is in the middle of  350 km long Rasina region that is consisted of six municipalities including Sarajevo, Novi Sad, Sofija, Skopje, what makes it very attractive for investments, said the President of Regional Chamber of Commerce Krusevac Goran Krasic at the meeting of the directors of SCC Representative Offices abroad and business people from Krusevac. The meeting was held in the premises of Regional Chamber of Commerce Krusevac on 27 June.

Krusevac was the centre of industry like Maribor in the former Yugoslavia , but giant companies engaged in machinery and chemical industries underwent hard path through transition period. This region was one of the biggest exporters of baby-beef meat, but now this sector has the share of only 20 percent, warned Krasic.

At the beginning of the privatization process, there were few successfully realized foreign direct investments such as Merima and Trajal, but it is not enough. The established cooperation between the directors of SCC Representative Offices abroad and Centre for Diaspora should contribute to strengthening of the promotion of Rasina region and its economic potentials. Here, unlike the other regions in Serbia , our people who returned to their homeland have positive experiences in investing, but they expect much more as well. Krusevac is favourable for brownfield investments as it has the capacity of 350 hectares for building the industrial zone and is one of few Serbian towns that has favourable geographic position that provides it to expand on all four sides.

The directors of SCC Representative Offices abroad have represented all features of the markets of the countries they work in. Then they familiarized all business people interested with terms and conditions of launching their products and articles on foreign markets. They all agreed that our country invests very little in the promotion of Serbian companies abroad and that the lack of assets for it may be lessen by association of companies.

The Director of SCC Representative Office in Vienna Vera Vidovic did her best to promote our business people employed with branch economy in Austria . She passed all experiences exchanged at this years' promotion of winegrowing. She also gathered some companies dealing with wood processing and willing to be promoted at the fair in Klagenfurt .

Although our business people have doubts about fairs, it is a first step of hard work to the foreign market. It is very significant to take part at the international promotions whether like an exhibitor or visitor, said Vera Vidovic.

The Director of SCC Representative Office in Moscow Sasa Gmijovic talked to business people interested to launch their products on the Russian market and exhibition that is to be held in Krasnodar. He also said that Russian market is very demanding and that friendly relations of the two countries will not contribute to selling of bad quality goods.      

The most attractive fields foreign investors find interesting for cooperation are consulting, real estates, media, wood processing industry, said the Director of SCC Representative Office in Frankfurt Milanka Vucic. She greeted all presented at the meeting organized due to the visit of Germany Business Club Banat from Timisoara . The meeting is the result of German business people running a business in Romania who are willing to expand it to Serbian market.

During the two-day stay of business people from Romania they visited Zrenjanin, Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci and could see all economic potentials of the region. Milanka Vucic said that Serbian business people are willing to cooperate as for the greatest part of Serbian production is based on German technology and we are turned to each other due to raw and reproduction materials. As a consequence of it the cooperation of two countries is possible.

The Coordinator of the program GTZ/WBF Wolfgang Limbert emphasized that favourable logistic position of Serbia and Vojvodina and good arranged industrial zones are enough reasons for the cooperation between these two countries.

A representative of German Business Club from Timisoara Peter Hochmuth spoke about good business relations of two countries in the past and emphasized that soon constituted Pro-European Serbian Government will prove and improve the cooperation. On this occasion he said that Serbia is excellent destination for foreign investors.

Ernest Bode, a representative of German Economic Association in Serbia , said that the Association members represent circa 90 foreign subjects doing business in Serbia , whereas the sum of 1.5 billion euros is the total of investments in Serbia .

The representative of the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development Zoran Malic emphasized that this meeting proves that Germany is our biggest European partner and long standing import market. The gate for German investments is opened, we need it, said Malic.

The representatives of SIEPA and DIHK Nikola Jankovic and Marko Jeremic respectively spoke of investment possibilities in Serbia .