Serbia-Germany - 140 Years of the Trade Agreement and the Consular Convention

Serbia and Germany established official relations shortly after the Berlin Congress in 1871. The first agreements between the two countries were concluded in January 1883 – the Trade Agreement and the Consular Convention. After the conclusion of these agreements, the first investments of German capital in the Serbian economy began, primarily in mining and industry. Economic relations between the two countries, insignificant in the first decades, experienced expansion during the Customs War between Austria-Hungary and Serbia (1906–1912), when the German market became an alternative to the Austrian market for a large part of Serbian exports. By 1914, 10 agreements were concluded between Serbia and Germany, primarily with the aim of further improving trade and consular relations.

It is interesting that Serbia, even before signing the first official agreement with Germany in 1883, already had an agreement with one German state, Bavaria, with which Serbia concluded a Consular convention on August 25, 1870, even before gaining formal independence.