Workshop - cargo transport

WORKSHOP HELD WITH BUSINESS ENTITIES AIMING TO IMPROVE THE REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IN THE AREA OF FREIGHT TRANSPORT IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL ROAD TRAFFIC

On Tuesday, November 14, 2023, in the premises of the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce, a workshop was successfully held, including a group discussion in a focus group format with representatives of the private sector. The workshop aimed to jointly identify the administrative procedures and requests that most burden economic entities in selected business areas, gather experiences of economic entities regarding compliance with administrative procedures and requests, and proposals for optimizations.

The organizers of this workshop were the Republic Secretariat for Public Policy, the project "EU for a Better Business Environment" (EU4BE) implemented by the World Bank in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Serbia and with the support of the European Union, and the Chamber of Commerce of Belgrade. Through the EU4BE project and in collaboration with the World Bank, the Republic Secretariat for Public Policy works on further improving the business environment, which includes simplifying the regulatory framework and creating instruments to help economic entities better understand and comply with legal obligations.

Thirteen representatives of the private sector, economic entities engaged in freight transport in domestic and international road traffic, participated in the workshop.

One of the topics addressed at this workshop is the development of the Register of Administrative Procedures (RAP portal), which represents a unique information point for businesses and citizens, providing data on all procedures and requirements in all business areas. During the workshop, it was emphasized that a census of administrative procedures initiated by economic entities before state authorities and administrative requests that entrepreneurs need to fulfil when starting and operating businesses in various economic activities has been conducted in the past period. Finally, it was mentioned that within the EU4BE project, an additional instrument named "business episodes" has been prepared to facilitate understanding of obligations that entrepreneurs in this field need to fulfill. This instrument serves as a guide through administrative procedures and requirements from the establishment to the cessation of a business.

During the discussion part, private sector representatives shared observations and difficulties encountered in their business operations, as well as suggestions for simplifying administrative procedures and requests. The main conclusion of the discussion is that there is room for optimization, especially regarding administrative requests in the field of freight transport in domestic and international road traffic, as well as for the digitalization of certain administrative procedures.

We thank Belgrade Chamber of Commerce for the collaboration in organizing this workshop, and in contributing to the easier and more efficient daily operations of economic entities.