Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic called on 100 largest Serbian exporters to prepare export projects and compete for Apex 4 loans of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in the amount of EUR 250 million, the granting of which will begin in September 2011.

Djelic said that the loans are primarily intended for companies already engaged in export, adding that the loans will have a 12-year repayment period, 4-year grace period and a 4-percent annual interest rate.

On the sidelines of the roundtable dubbed 'How to Increase Serbia's Export', Djelic said that the government's goal is to raise export level from the current 40 percent to at least 50 percent of the GDP.

The current export import ratio in Serbia is about 60 percent. However, the ratio reaches about 90 percent with Italy, with a chance of reaching 100 percent when the Fiat Automobili Srbija factory starts operating in full capacity, Djelic stated.

The export import ratio in the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) countries is much better and exceeds 190 percent, but mainly because of export of agricultural products, Djelic said.