The scope of foreign direct investment in South Eastern Europe and the economy of SCG

Abstract

Foreign direct investments have had a long tradition in the modern Serbian history. The influence of the foreign capital on the Serbian economy was particularly expressed in the period between the two World Wars, when France England, Belgium, Germany and even Russia invested into Serbia. After World War II, until the end of the sixth decade, foreign direct investments were not stipulated in the legal regulations. In the last decade of the twentieth century and at the beginning of the twenty-first, the inflow of foreign direct investments has been provided for through the economy transformation and privatization process. In the last three years, privatization has been oriented only to sale and inflow of foreign capital, while the reverse process, i.e. investment into foreign countries (outflow), has been totally neglected. Therefore, orientation only to the FDI inflow constitutes both an opportunity and an obstacle to intensive economic development. Along with that, the following laws have not been passed yet: Law on Denationalization Law on Investment Funds and Law on Takeover of Joint-Stock Companies. Such laws will ensure completion of the privatization process and create an ambience for intensive economic development.

Keywords

• foreign direct investments
• opportunity
• obstacle
• intensive economic development