20 years of Roncucci&Partners in Serbia: Mission to Belgrade and New Paths for Internationalisation

From February 23 to 25, 2026, Roncucci&Partners carried out a strategic mission in Belgrade.

It was based on a simple belief: being present in markets is essential to truly understanding them. It is the most concrete way to interpret changes, identify real needs, and transform relationships and contexts into opportunities for Italian and Serbian companies.

This mission comes in a special year for us: in 2026, we will celebrate 20 years of presence in Serbia through Roncucci&Partners Balkans Doo. Twenty years in which the market has changed profoundly. In these years, Serbia is now acquiring even greater importance on the international scene. For us, ‘being there’ means above all having a team on the ground.

This team has been supporting companies for two decades in the development of export strategies and in entering foreign markets, with daily work based on relationships, listening and operational activities.

Internationalisation is Changing: Digital Technology as a Concrete Lever for Competing Abroad

Over the past twenty years in Serbia, we have learned one thing well: being on the ground is not only useful for “following” the market. It is also useful for anticipating changes. Moreover, that is exactly what this mission to Belgrade set out to do. The aim is to listen closely to how the needs, priorities, and competitive models of Italian and Serbian companies are evolving. Then we must translate these signals into increasingly relevant projects, partnerships, and services.

Today, the direction is clearer than ever: digitalisation is not a separate issue, but a lever that directly affects the ability to compete in foreign markets. Furthermore, it does not only concern commercial channels. Instead, it impacts the way a company positions itself, responds more quickly to the market, increases efficiency and builds stronger relationships with international customers and partners.

This is the context for digitalisation for internationalisation: using digital tools and digital transformation pathways to make SMEs more competitive in foreign markets. In practice, this means linking digital choices and international objectives. In this way, technology, processes and commercial tools work in the same direction: growth, continuity and the ability to maintain a presence in markets over time.

CDT: a Hub for the Digital Transformation of Serbian SMEs

Among the most interesting parts of the mission, the meeting with the Centre for Digital Transformation (CDT) sent an important signal. The Serbian ecosystem supporting SMEs in the digital sector is alive, structured, and already capable of generating results.

The CDT is an initiative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia, launched in 2018, created to support Serbian companies in their digitalisation and adoption of new technologies, strengthening their organisational capabilities and competitiveness. In this context, the meeting opened up a space for reflection, ideas and opportunities for collaboration on an issue that is becoming increasingly central today. That issue is how to put digital transformation at the service of international growth. The goal at this stage is to develop ideas and possible synergies with a concrete approach geared towards the needs of businesses.

An Italy–Serbia Network that Creates Opportunities for Businesses

Being active for 20 years also means cultivating a network of relationships that becomes an accelerator of opportunities. This is also the meaning of the mission: not to accumulate meetings, but to connect interlocutors, topics, and operational possibilities. This focus matters because today internationalisation does not move in silos. It moves where institutions, businesses, finance, incentives, and innovation talk to each other.

Discussions with interlocutors such as PKS (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia) and Confindustria Serbia are part of a logic of continuity: consolidated relationships that help maintain a stable dialogue between companies, services, and initiatives in the territory, bringing out opportunities for collaboration and initiatives that are useful to companies.

Alongside this, we met with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and Intesa Sanpaolo, two Italian financial partners with a significant and active presence in Serbia. This dialogue helps to maintain a comprehensive view of the dynamics that accompany investment, growth, and development projects between Italy and Serbia.

The meeting with RAS – Development Agency of Serbia is along the same lines: understanding tools and pathways to support growth and investment. In particular, it deals with measures and calls for proposals that can facilitate those who want to establish a presence and develop on the market.

Finally, dialogue with sectoral associations, such as those linked to agricultural machinery, and with players in the innovation ecosystem, such as the Innovation Fund, adds an essential piece to the puzzle. It allows us to listen to specific needs, identify supply chains where the international component can grow, and evaluate more targeted support models, combining innovation and foreign competitiveness.

Serbia: A Look to the Future

A simple message comes out of Belgrade: today, the most solid opportunities arise from the combination of a real presence in the markets and qualified relationships.

Let’s not forget the new tools capable of making companies more competitive even beyond national borders.

For Roncucci&Partners, celebrating 20 years in Serbia means renewing a commitment.

That is, to continue to be an operational partner for Italian and Serbian companies, with a contemporary approach to internationalisation, capable of combining vision and execution.

Anna Monteleone

Related Articles:

https://roncucciandpartners.com/en/2025/12/23/serbia-investment-compass-2025-investments-reforms-and-new-perspectives-for-the-serbian-market/

https://roncucciandpartners.com/en/2025/11/27/cbam-in-serbia-how-companies-can-prepare-for-the-new-european-carbon-regulation/