S&T Country Report - Albania - WBC-INCO Net

y leading international development institutions, such as the World Bank and the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while the processes of the
European Union and the World Trade Organization accession are under way.
In 2005, Serbia received wide international recognition for economic and legislative
reforms and improvement of business climate. The last year’s (2006) highlights
related to the country’s overall progress were the following (SIEPA, 2006):
• A positive Feasibility Report by the EU and the start of negotiations on the
Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA);
• Successful completion of a 3-year financial agreement with the IMF;
• The World Bank’s guide Doing Business in 2006 naming Serbia the top global
reformer;
• Highly graded structural reform progress in Central and Eastern Europe by the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBDR);
• Upgrading of Serbia’s credit rating by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch;
• Serbia proclaimed as a winner by the OECD Investor of the Year award for the
biggest foreign Greenfield investment in South East Europe in 2004 and 2005.
Serbia has adopted a medium-term approach to SME development. It has
established a solid policy framework and implemented reforms in the company
registration and tax policy areas. Serbia systematically applies Regulatory Impact
Analysis (RIA) to new legislation and regulations. It is developing a pro-active profile
on innovation policy. With respect to the remaining dimensions, it is working steadily
on the policy-building blocks.
The Government of Serbia has a policy targeted at removing barriers to foreign
investment. It effectively improves the overall business climate and benefits small
businesses, but no particular policy attention is given to the needs of small
businesses (OECD and EC, 2007).
The Law on Innovation Activity (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, no.
110\05), which was adopted in December 2005, defines the business-technology
incubators as a commercial company whose main activity is to provide and rent
available office space, administrative, technical and other services to newly started
commercial companies or innovation organisations. In Article 21, incubators are
defined as organisations providing infrastructure support to the innovation activity.
Concerning innovation and technology (I&T) centres and co-operation - Serbia has
established a policy framework and has active programmes to foster technological
co-operation.
On the other hand, UNMIK/Kosovo has not yet developed significant initiatives to
encourage technology transfer. In UNMIK/Kosovo the SME strategy is being drafted
as part of a National Development Plan. The national development planning process
is in the phase of identifying projects and budget resources. The strategy has not yet
been approved. A short-term strategy compiled and approved by the Ministry of
Economy in September 2005 has not yet reached the implementation stage due to
budget limitations (OECD and EC, 2007).
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