Vienna, 13 November, 2023
As part of the participation in the 20th edition of the Vienna Economic Forum, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, was today part of the discussion panel entitled “Building Economic Cooperation in Difficult Times”.
Speaking about the need and importance of economic growth and development, he first listed the three main challenges to be faced, both at the local, regional and global level; security threats, social or societal inequality, and climate change.
In terms of the government so far, the prime minister singled out the economic growth of 10.7% in 2021, 5.2% in 2022, this year which is expected to be around 3.8%, the marked reduction in inflation compared to the beginning of the year, and mitigation the gap between exports and imports from 1 to 9, to less than 1 to 6.
He also spoke about democratic progress in the field of freedoms and human rights, freedom of the media, then the rule of law and the fight against corruption, as evidenced by credible international reports, as well as reforms in public administration.
Regarding the Berlin Process, Prime Minister Kurti said that it is the way forward to prepare the Western Balkans for Integration, as well as the importance of the agreements signed so far within this process.
Meanwhile, in relation to the big plans and projects for the future, he singled out the Pristina-Durres railway which will connect Kosovo with the Trans-European network, and the current auction for the construction of 100 MW of the announced solar energy and that of the wind with capacity up to 150 MW which is expected to be announced during the next year, within the goals of the Energy Strategy for the country to add 1,200 MW from renewable sources.
During this discussion, Prime Minister Kurti was also asked about relations with Serbia. On this occasion, he said that on February 27 in Brussels, the Basic Agreement for de facto recognition was reached, based on the model of the two Germanys, but that Serbia refuses to sign it, including in the meeting with European leaders on October 21, and is not accepting complete agreement agreed in Brussels.
In this edition, he accepted the Annual Award of the Economic Forum “Partner of the Year 2023”, which was awarded to the Republic of Kosovo for its 15-year cooperation and contribution to economic development at the national and regional level.
Last modified: November 14, 2023