THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES HOST WORKING BREAKFAST FOR BRITISH COMPANIES IN SERBIA

Belgrade, 18 March 2010 - Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Alexander II and Crown Princess Katherine hosted a working breakfast at the White Palace for the representatives of British businesses in Serbia.

Guests were addressed by HRH Crown Prince Alexander II, H.E. Mr. Stephen John Wordsworth, HM Ambassador to Serbia, Mr. Radovan Jelasic, Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Mr. Dusan Filipovic, Executive Director of the British-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, and Mr. Dusan Babac, member of the Privy Council.

HRH Crown Prince Alexander II greeted the guests and emphasized: "I am pleased that we have gathered here at the White Palace, in a friendly and unofficial atmosphere, to discuss very important topics, such as Serbian economic development, foreign and domestic investments and improvement of business cooperation in general. I am willing to offer you my assistance and support to improve the situation further in all of these areas".

H.E. Mr. Stephen John Wordsworth, HM Ambassador to Serbia, thanked the Royal Couple for hosting this event and pointed out that trade and investment links show a growing trend, despite the setback of the global crisis.

“That is only likely to grow as Serbia continues along the EU accession path, as we have seen elsewhere in Central and South East Europe. Although investment presence of United Kingdom based companies is modest in this market, several British companies are actively pursuing investment opportunities in Serbia (in field of spas, electronics, renewable energy ...)”, the Ambassador said.

The Governor of the Central Bank of Serbia gave an excellent presentation “Macroeconomic challenges in Serbia” and answered questions.

The United Kingdom ranks in the top 10 investors in Serbia with cumulative 2000 – 2006 investments amounting to over US$ 307 million. The overall bilateral trade amounted to US$ 316.9 million in year 2009.

At the working breakfast at the White Palace, there were representatives of more than 100 companies, including the largest British and international companies in Serbia.