The French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce hosted a traditional Gala Evening last night for its member companies, partners and friends. This year’s event had Cabaret as its theme, and the guests enjoyed a programme designed by stage artists with dance performances and magic tricks. On the occasion, the Chamber gave out its annual Grand Prix awards in two categories as well as special prizes for members.
At the very beginning of the evening, the Chamber’s President, Dragan Stokić, gave a welcome speech in which he thanked sponsors for their support and guests who made another Gala Evening possible, adding that the Chamber’s members have always been and will be a pillar of the Chamber. He also underlined that this year the Chamber will especially focus on the Green Agenda, and said that the Chamber has decided to launch The Quest For Net Zero to support the Serbian economy in its green transition. Mr Stokić also announced several conferences, webinars and roundtables on the subject to be held by the year-end.
In his welcome address, the French Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Pierre Cochard reminded us that Serbian-French economic relations are constantly growing and that the cooperation between the two countries has been expanding with new, large-scale projects. He thanked the French-Serbian business community for its contribution to boosting these relations, as well as the participation of French companies in numerous socially responsible projects. The Ambassador also drew attention to the importance of Serbia’s accession to the EU and the continuous French support for Serbia’s EU aspirations.
Next, the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce gave out its annual Grand Prix awards to the best companies and individuals. The Grand Prix for Innovation was given to Mikroelektronika for their project called Planet Debug, the world’s first hardware-as-a-service solution for remote access. In the Corporate Social Responsibility category, the award went to OTP Bank Serbia for the Generator Zero project, which focuses on supporting and rewarding innovative projects that represent sustainable solutions with a real and measurable impact on reducing carbon footprint, as one of today’s biggest challenges. The Chamber also handed two special prizes for special contributions to the Chamber’s activities – the first went to Belgrade Airport (Vinci), for the most active company in the previous year, while the second prize went to the individual who contributed most to the promotion of the French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mr Nebojša Nedeljković from the Mecafor Company.
The guests were entertained by artists from the Terazije Theatre, magicians Pixie and Bunny and DJ Miss Millie. The Gala Evening was held in Copernicus 610.
Before the opening ceremony, the guests gathered for a cocktail party where they were entertained by a violin performance of Golden Noise, while enjoying a fantastic view of Kalemegdan.
The French-Serbian Chamber of Commerce was established in 2009 with the aim of bringing together the French-Serbian business community and enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The Chamber is a member of the Union of French Chambers of Commerce Abroad, and today gathers over 130 companies and enterprises in Serbia – French, Serbian and international, including Athos, Lafarge, Le Bélier, L’Oreal, Mecafor Products, Renault, Saint Gobain, Schneider Electric, Sladara Soufflet Serbia, Tigar Tires, Total, Veolia, Vinci Airports, OTP banka, etc.