Key investment points: Realizing the potential of free economic zones Belarus on the acceleration track

Free Economic Zones (FEZs) of Belarus have been drivers of economic development of the regions of our republic for many years. Statistics show that 440 residents of six Belarusian FEZs account for more than five percent of the gross domestic product, one fifth of foreign direct investment, exports of goods and industrial production. In the last three years alone, 100 new FEZ residents have become new participants with plans to create six thousand jobs. In 2024, the Belarusian FEZs are already implementing new projects in metal and wood processing, machine building, integrated logistics, chemical and polymer industry, production of electric transport charging infrastructure, and biotechnology. In terms of export development, FEZ residents of Belarus are actively working on reorienting the supply of their products from the European direction to the countries of Asia, Africa and the Pacific region, diversifying logistics chains and expanding the range of products supplied. And already in the first quarter of 2024, the volume of exports exceeded two billion dollars. This is a record figure for the entire period of FEZ operation. These and other issues of this topic are discussed in this paper.