Foreign investors reconsider Balkans

SMEDEREVO, Serbia — Business was once so bad at Smederevo's steel plant that it idled production and grew mushrooms in its halls instead.

Then the Americans came in 2003 and turned things around.

Now fears are rampant that hard times are back.

The town is in a panic over a financial report released by Pittsburgh-based steel giant U.S. Steel that its plant in Smederevo, almost the sole source of income for its 100,000 people, is losing tens of millions of dollars.

"If U.S. Steel stops, the whole town will stop," Smederevo resident Biljana Andrejevic said as thick white smoke billowed from one of the plant's chimneys, and an American flag fluttered in its yard.

There are increasing signs that major foreign investors, previously attracted by central and eastern Europe's cheap labor and lower production costs, are thinking of quitting the region or scaling down production, as markets shrink in the global economic crisis and competition from Asia rises.

The region experienced a fivefold increase in direct foreign investments between 2003 and 2008, rising from $30 billion to $155 billion, according to the British-based consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. FDI plunged 50 percent in 2009, as the credit crunch set in, with only a modest recovery from 2010 onward.

"The region is no longer so attractive for foreign investors because it's no longer competitive," said prominent Serbian economic analyst Misa Brkic.

"If the Serbian steel plant was closer to China, they would not be think of closing."

U.S. Steel Serbia, which has steadily reduced production over the last eight years, employs over 5,400 people and accounts for nearly 10 percent of Serbian exports.

"We are not satisfied with our poor financial results in Serbia, and we are evaluating all options to improve our situation," John Surma, chairman and CEO of U.S. Steel, said this month.

He cited the anemic regional economy, high raw materials costs, pressure from imports, and Serbian customers who can't pay as the causes of the problem. The plant exports to 60 countries across the world.

"U.S. Steel Serbia results continue to reflect the difficult economic situation in Europe, particularly in southern Europe," the company said in a statement to The Associated Press.