Strengthening Competitiveness Through Regulatory Reform/Jačanje konkurentnosti privrede kroz regulatornu reformu, March 30, 2009, Belgrade, Serbia

IFC, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities organized the conference Strengthening Competitiveness through Regulatory Reform to present the importance of regulatory reform during the financial crisis.

The conference focused on current challenges for Serbia during the economic crisis, and the importance of improving the quality of the business environment. Representatives of the host institutions and the Serbian Ministry of Economy and Regional Development discussed ways of improving the quality of regulations and procedures on the national and local levels, developing better conditions for local businesses and attracting foreign investment.

Of particular note were presentations of progress and results from the Sub-National Competitiveness program in Serbia, implemented in partnership with IFC in four towns thus far - Kruševac, Užice, Vranje and Zrenjanin. Within the project, often referred to as the regulatory guillotine, experts and municipal/city administrations work to reduce the cost and time of complying with business-related formalities, thereby improving management of administrative and licensing procedures.