The Government of the Republic of Serbia, in collaboration with the World Bank, continues its work on improving and simplifying the business environment. Although significant results have been achieved in the past period, primarily in simplifying administrative procedures and achieving savings on that basis, there are still many obstacles that economic entities in Serbia face in their daily operations.
With the support of the European Union through the "EU for a Better Business Environment" project (www.rsjp.gov.rs/sr/projekti/projekat-eu-za-bolje-poslovno-okruzenje-eu4be/), the World Bank, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy and the Republic Public Polic Secretariat (PPS), identified the most significant areas where the business environment could be improved.
Representatives of businesses, business associations, local self-governments, regional development agencies, and other partners from the public and private business sectors are participating in the series of events organized by the EU4BE Project in period from October 2023 to June 2024 in various local self-government units in the Republic of Serbia, in collaboration with the PPS and regional chambers of commerce,. During the workshops, presentations and focus groups cover:
• Existing instruments aimed at better, faster, more efficient, and predictable daily operations, such as the Registry of Administrative Procedures (RAP portal)[ [ Link:
https://rap.euprava.gov.rs/privreda/home ];
• Findings of the EU4BE project on the identification of administrative procedures and requirements, as well as recommendations for their simplification, currently in preparation, with the aim of improving the business environment in Serbia;
• Proposal of the concept of business episodes, representing a set of relevant administrative procedures and requirements related to common parts of the life cycle of an economic entity (establishment, employment, tax issues, closure of an economic entity) in specific sectors where economic entities operate.
The goal of these planned events is to guide economic entities through improved business mechanisms, serve as a source of additional information for confirmation, correction, or supplementation of findings and recommendations from the EU4BE project team and partners. Based on the experiences of daily business operations of entrepreneurs and the obstacles they encounter regarding the legal framework, existing administrative procedures and requirements, and conditions for doing business, these events aim to identify additional suggestionson removing existing obstacles and facilitating the operations of economic entities.
A special goal of these workshops is to present the RAP Portal as a central information point for economic entities regarding the obligations they face when starting and running a business. The RAP portal provides information on administrative procedures and requirements that entrepreneurs must fulfil to operate legally in various economic activities. The portal can be accessed via the link https://rap.euprava.gov.rs/privreda/home.
During the workshops, participants actively take part in discussions and contribute with their experiences and knowledge to improve recommendations for a better business environment in the Republic of Serbia. As an additional form of consultation, the EU4BE project team, through regional chambers of commerce, distributes comprehensive online surveys to entrepreneurs on specific topics to obtain concrete feedback on these issues from a larger number of economic entities.
Workshops have already been held in Užice and Belgrade from October to December 2023, with over 50 participants.
In collaboration with the RPK Užice - Regional Chamber of Commerce of the Zlatibor Administrative District and the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies, a workshop was held on the topic of administrative requests that burden economic entities the most (previous experiences in complying with administrative requests, challenges, suggestions for optimizing administrative requests, etc.). The project presented what administrative requests are and what are the basic types of administrative requests, previous results regarding the identification of administrative requests, their listing, and entry into the RAP portal, as well as further steps aimed at optimizing administrative request.
In collaboration with the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce and the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies, the second workshop/focus group on the topic of freight transport in domestic and international road traffic was held. Representatives of the EU4BE project presented these two life cycles and related business episodes, aiming to list, simplify, and consolidate administrative procedures and requests regulated by laws and bylaws at the republic level, enabling easier business operations for entities engaged in freight transport in domestic and international road traffic.
In collaboration with the Niš Chamber of Commerce and the Republic Secretariat for Public Policies, the third workshop/focus group on the topic of hospitality will be held in Niš on January 26, 2024. Participants invited to this workshop and focus group include providers of accommodation services and food, beverage, and drink preparation and service. Representatives of the EU4BE project will present the life cycles and related business episodes within these two areas, as well as identified administrative procedures and requests, along with proposals for their optimization and digitalization, enabling easier business operations for economic entities involved in these aspects of hospitality.