May 9, 2018 - A cooperation agreement was signed between the Association of French-Montenegrin Enterprises and the agency Business France in Podgorica earlier this week. The contract was signed by the director of Business France for Southeast Europe, Mr. Pierre Lignot, and the president of the Association of French-Montenegrin Enterprises, Mr. Rajko Uskoković.
Business France is a French Government agency which has the status of a public institution of industrial and commercial character under the supervision of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. Business France aims to promote French exports and investments in the state of France, enable international internships in French companies abroad and promote the image of France as a business country. This agency is also the leading institution promoting French investments in Southeast Europe.
French-Montenegrin Enterprises is an association founded under the auspices of the French Embassy. Its primary goal is to economically connect the states of Montenegro and France by creating stronger partnerships between their business communities.
The contract between the Association of French-Montenegrin Enterprises and Business France is the result of a significant increase in business cooperation between the two states. In fact, by observing the statistics starting from the year 2012, there has only been a growing rate of the exchanged goods between Montenegro and France in the later years. For example, based on statistical data, during the year 2016, the two countries traded goods in the amount of 45.4 million EUR, an increase of 68.7% compared to 2015.
The Association of French-Montenegrin Enterprises shares the opinion of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro that the economic cooperation between Montenegro and France does not correspond to the real possibilities. In the future, Montenegro will increase the efforts directed to creating interest of French businesspeople in the Montenegrin market.
Both parties were satisfied with the contract signing and strengthening the relations between the two states. The director of Business France for Southeast Europe, Mr. Pierre Lignot after signing the contract stated: “Montenegro is a small market, but interesting for French investors. We hope that with this agreement we will expand the network of French companies operating in the Balkans and in Montenegro itself”.
