Frankfurt, February 20, 2025 – The General Consulate in Frankfurt hosted the Diaspora Meetups 2025, an event that gathered experts, entrepreneurs, and representatives of institutions with the aim of enhancing cooperation between the diaspora and Serbia. The meetup provided an opportunity for exchanging experiences, networking, and discussions, while also presenting key program activities in the areas of digitalization, healthcare, climate change, and gender equality.

Among the speakers were: Snežana Antonijević, advisor for shaping development-oriented migration programme (GIZ), Stefan Jakovljević, senior investment support advisor (PKS), and Uroš Živković, Returning Point director, who shared insights into the organization’s work, ongoing programs, and initiatives supporting returnees and entrepreneurial activities. He emphasized the importance of connecting the diaspora with Serbia and highlighted the role the diaspora can play in the development of innovative entrepreneurial ideas and digital transformation.

This event was an opportunity to direct the diaspora towards collaborative work on projects that can contribute to the development of Serbia, as well as to the entrepreneurs from the diaspora themselves.

Participants also had the chance to learn about a grant for entrepreneurship in Serbia, which offers financial support of up to 7,000 euros for essential services needed to implement business ideas, along with nine months of personalized assistance in Germany and Serbia, organized by the Global Migration Programme in the Context of Development (GIZ).

The Diaspora Meetups 2025 also represent a natural continuation of the session of the Business Council for the Diaspora, which was organized with the support of German Cooperation in Serbia (GIZ) and Returning Point last November, where the main theme was the role of the diaspora in the economic development of Serbia, with a special focus on innovative entrepreneurship and digital transformation.

These meetups further confirmed the importance of connecting the diaspora with the homeland and provided a platform for collaborative work on developing new ideas and concrete solutions that will contribute to the development of Serbia.