Main area: Migration
Theme: Engagement with diaspora
Assessment: ODA-eligible
Provider country: Austria
Recipient country: Serbia
Implementing agency: International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)
Budget (EUR million): 1.7
Year(s): 2019-2022
Purpose code: 25010
Case number: Migration / 22
Link Up! Serbia II
The Republic of Serbia is an EU candidate country with prospects of becoming an EU Member State by 2025. The EC progress report ‘Serbia 2018 Report’ assessed Serbia to be moderately prepared in developing a functioning market economy, specifying challenges relating to unpredictable business environment, SMEs’ difficult and costly access to finance, unpredictable para-fiscal charges as well as internationalization of companies. Increasing investments and private sector growth is thus a declared objective of Serbia’s political leaders. This project builds on the fact that diaspora can serve as an EU bridge between Western Balkans SME business culture and EU or even influence new consumption behaviours. Diasporans are in a unique position to become successful market leaders because of access to information, market intelligence throughout EU and Serbia, and their international expertise.
The overall goal is to foster transnational entrepreneurial activities with and through the Serb diaspora in Austria, Germany and Switzerland (“DACH” countries) by facilitating access to knowledge, networks, and financial resources. Specific objectives and concrete intervention measures to achieve them include:
1. Strengthen local competitiveness (targeting private sector SMEs) and capacities (targeting public and private stakeholders and DACH diaspora) for co-operating with diaspora in DACH markets.
Intervention measures 1.1: mentoring local SMEs for internationalization and early-stage diaspora entrepreneurs for transnational entrepreneurship towards the Serbian market.
Intervention measures 1.2: providing information and program support to SMEs and diaspora.
2. Expanded business engagement between markets (including introduction of new business operations by key stakeholders and events organised in Serbia and DACH states).
Intervention measures 2.1: setting up an online platform with service support sections and information sections for SMEs.
Intervention measures 2.2: pilot new business operations and business events for face-to-face connections, trust development, and new business practice.
255 empowered SMEs from Serbia; 2 000 entrepreneurs reached by information of interest and support for engaging diaspora and DACH markets;
150 empowered individuals or SMEs run by persons from vulnerable groups from Serbia;
110 included diaspora entrepreneurs and 35 mentors; 1 000 business diasporans reached by information of interest and support for engaging Serbia.
This activity is deemed ODA-eligible. The primary objective of the project is to support local development in Serbia through investments of the diaspora in DACH countries: Serbian SMEs are supported financially, and the internationalisation process is facilitated through mentoring, transfer of know-how and co-operation with the Serbian diaspora. The project also pursues domestic migration interest to some extent, as denoted by the focus of the technical assistance component on emigration regions in Serbia (see the project’s webpage at https://linkupserbia.icmpd.org/en/). As indicated in Principle 3, benefits to the provider country do not preclude ODA eligibility and, as the activities capitalise on diaspora as a means to primarily reach a developmental objective, they can be considered ODA-eligible in line with Criterion 8.
This work was approved and declassified by the Development Assistance Committee’s Working Party on Development Finance Statistics.
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