Mayor of Kragujevac Nikola Dašić hosted an official reception at City Hall today for H.E. Ms. Florence Ferrari, Ambassador of the Republic of France to Serbia, and Mr. Miguel La Plante, Deputy Head of Mission of the Swiss Confederation in Serbia. The meeting, dedicated to advancing international cooperation and presenting Kragujevac’s economic and investment potential, was also attended by Ms. Danka Andonovski, Member of the City Council for International Cooperation and Local Self-Government. During the cordial and constructive discussions, particular emphasis was placed on strengthening cooperation in the fields of high technology, innovation, education, and local economic development.
Mayor Dašić emphasized that Kragujevac remains open to new forms of cooperation with France and Switzerland at the institutional, economic, educational, and cultural levels.
Kragujevac is steadily building its position as a modern European city founded on knowledge, innovation, and international cooperation. Our cooperation with France and Switzerland is of particular importance to us, as these are countries with which Serbia enjoys traditionally strong relations, robust economic ties, and shared interests in the fields of development, education, and advanced technologies, the Mayor stated.
He further noted that Kragujevac is rapidly establishing itself as a modern European centre driven by knowledge, digitalisation, and international cooperation. Among the city’s key assets are the State Data Center, which already utilizes the cutting-edge French BULL SAS supercomputer as part of cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as the Innovation District, the Science and Technology Park, and the National Platform for Artificial Intelligence Development. It was emphasized that the city possesses exceptional potential for strengthening cooperation through support for start-ups and digital transformation. Switzerland was highlighted as one of Serbia’s most important donors, actively supporting programmes in green transition, local development, local public finance reform (RELOF), and dual education through its agencies SDC and SECO.
Ambassador Florence Ferrari, who was making her second official visit to Kragujevac since taking office, once again reaffirmed France’s high regard for Serbia’s development path and that of the Šumadija Administrative District, particularly in the context of Serbia’s EU accession process - a path that Serbia has chosen for itself. She also praised the City of Kragujevac’s commitment to Francophonie through bilingual French-language education at the First Grammar School of Kragujevac and the Department of French Language at the Faculty of Philology and Arts.
The participants also recalled the traditionally close ties between the two countries, noting that the partnership and twinning relationship between Kragujevac and the French city of Suresnes dates back to 1967. It remains one of the oldest and most active partnerships between Serbian and French cities and was further strengthened by the Convention on Cooperation signed in 2023.
La Plante highlighted the importance of Swiss support for youth employment. Through the Education to Employment programme, more than 11,000 people under the age of 30 in Kragujevac and the wider Šumadija region have received free career guidance and counselling since 2016. Of those, 600 participants also completed training programmes in 64 companies, with 70 percent subsequently securing employment.
The meeting also highlighted the contribution of successful Swiss and French companies already operating in Kragujevac and Serbia, including Trigano, Decathlon, Nestlé, and Holcim. It was concluded that Kragujevac remains a reliable and open partner for future joint initiatives that bring together economic development, culture, and modern technologies.
