Paris, France, 18 October, 2024
The first Economic Forum of Kosovo in Paris was held today in the capital of France, with representatives of the government, development agencies and French companies, under the organization of the Prime Minister’s Office.
In addition to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, who opened this forum, four government cabinet ministers were also present and participating in this forum, namely the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, the Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, the Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu and the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Faton Peci, who each had a word, as well as the Ambassador of Kosovo to France, Mehdi Halimi and the Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister , Luan Dalipi.
In his opening address, Prime Minister Kurti listed the reasons, underlined the priorities and singled out the sectors with the most opportunities for foreign investments. He presented to the attendees the potential and offer of Kosovo for foreign investors in the field of Information Technology and Digital Innovation, Tourism, Energy, Light Manufacturing, and Agriculture. The country’s geographical position, educated, talented, creative youth, who speak more than one foreign language, fiscal policies and favorable tax system, democratic progress in recent years, rule of law, institutional stability and infrastructure investments, as well as the plans for over 50 infrastructure projects in transport, environment and energy, are the key elements that make Kosovo attractive for foreign investors, Prime Minister Kurti highlighted, as he invited the attendees and French companies to invest in Kosovo.
“This is more than an invitation to invest in Kosovo. It is an invitation to be part of our transformation and an invitation to grow and deepen our friendship. Together, we can build a strong economy, a more prosperous region and a future we can all be proud of”.
The Minister of France for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, also participated in this forum, with whom Prime Minister Kurti had held a meeting during the day. In his speech, he said that the presence of Prime Minister Kurti in Paris today is a signal of the common will to strengthen the economic cooperation between Kosovo and France. Minister Haddad said that there are many French companies that are interested in investing in Kosovo, especially in the field of energy. He added that France supports Kosovo’s economic perspective.
The Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, during his presentation, spoke about the infrastructure projects that connect Kosovo with the region, with a special focus on connections and railway infrastructure that affects the growth of trade exchanges and the interconnection of countries and at the same time time serves our green agenda. Minister Aliu also spoke about environmental projects and policies aimed at adapting infrastructure to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, said that “with the highest economic growth rates in the region, good governance, the fight against corruption and informality, and common values with the nations of the European family, Kosovo is increasingly attractive for investments from European countries.”
Rozeta Hajdari, Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, said that “in recent years, Kosovo has made significant progress in advancing policies and legal reforms in accordance with EU legislation and international best practices, as well as simplifying procedures of doing fair and competitive business driven by innovation and production”. She also singled out the approval of the 2023 Industry Development Strategy and investments in the creation of 12 industrial parks as infrastructural, legal and physical support for production and innovation.
An invitation for investments in agriculture and the food processing sector was made by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Faton Peci, who said that the National Development Strategy 2030 aims at a friendly environment for businesses in agriculture and prioritizes innovation and circular economy principles to increase competitiveness and sustainability.
At the conclusion of the Forum, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, Luan Dalipi, emphasized that Kosovo is quickly becoming an ideal destination for investments and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. He attributed this progress to sustained improvements in the rule of law, freedom and democracy, also made possible by the long and close partnership with France. “Political stability, coupled with strengthening democracy and the rule of law, creates predictability and efficiency – two key factors that any serious investor takes into account. Kosovo offers exactly that,” said Dalipi.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Your Excellency, Minister for Europe, Mr. Benjamin Haddad,
Your Excellences, ministers Rozeta Hajdari, Faton Peci, Liburn Aliu and Artane Rizvanolli,
Mr. Julien Marcilly of GSA,
Mr. President of CICES, Michael Deboudt,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
I apologize for addressing you in English. I am sorry I do not speak French. If I would have known that I will be reading in my life so many French authors, I would certainly learn French. But, as Ambassador of France in Kosova says, it’s never too late. We have French Institute now in Prishtina, and perhaps I can rectify this lack of French in my speaking and addressing.
It is truly a great pleasure to be back here in Paris, after the Olympic games this summer. A city that practically invented modern style and global leadership. Thank you for the warm welcome, for giving me the opportunity to speak about a country with a future as bright as its people: the Republic of Kosova.
Kosova is Europe’s youngest country, but what we lack in state experience, we more than make up for in ambition, resilience, and opportunity. In these 16 years since declaring independence, we have built a dynamic, open economy poised to thrive in the 21st century. Strategically perched at the crossroads of Southeast Europe, we offer unbeatable access to key regional markets – so yes, location matters, but our competitive advantages exceed well beyond geography.
Jointly with our vast diaspora, with an average age of 34 years old, Kosova’s greatest strength is our youth; well-educated, multi-lingual and increasingly studying in STEM fields, our young women and men are talented, driven and creative. They are ready and eager to work with trusted business leaders like yourselves to build together the future we want.
Today, Kosova stands among the fastest-growing economies in the Balkans. Despite global turbulence, we’ve consistently posted impressive growth; in the last 3 years we’ve led the Western Balkans in real economic growth. In comparison to 2021, Kosova’s GDP is 33% higher today as we speak. We have doubled exports and more than doubled Foreign Direct Investments in the last three and half years. We’ve also ranked second globally in Rule of Law according to World Justice Project, and third worldwide in enhancing political rights and civil liberties, according to Freedom House – our democracy is socially ingrained and institutionally protected. I am convinced that this is not a matter of correlations, but causation. Namely, economic growth, democratic progress and institutional stability going hand-in-hand.
By streamlining business registration, slashing red tape, improving rule of law, fighting corruption and informality, we’ve created a pro-business environment where companies can thrive. The result in increase in budget revenues by 35% in three years only. We have enabled better services for citizens and businesses alike, while keeping a tax system that is among the simplest and most competitive in Europe, with a cooperate tax of just 10%, personal income tax of up to 10%, 0% tax on dividends, and 0% custom tax on machinery and raw materials.
Kosova is full of opportunities across diverse sectors.
ICT and Digital Innovation is first and foremost a great opportunity for all of us. Our young tech talent, around 14,000 professionals, are making an impact. Kosova has around 1500 ICT companies, over 70% of which export their services in Europe and the United States of America.
Last year, we connected our last village to broadband internet, putting us among the top 8 European countries. It comes as no surprise that in the Emerging Europe Future of IT report, Kosova scores first in talent as measured by the number of students in IT related fields in higher education per 100,000 inhabitants, second in infrastructure and first in the region for competitiveness.
Tourism and Culture. Kosova is a hidden gem in the tourism sector. Think of breathtaking landscapes, UNESCO heritage sites, and a rich cultural tapestry – we’re ready to welcome both visitors and investors to experience and develop our tourism infrastructure. Most recently in the suburb of Prishtina, in Ulpiana, archeologists of our country together with professor Christophe Goddard, who comes for École Normale Supérieur, they have discovered a signature ingrained in an underground temple of the Roman Emperor Justinian from the 6th century as a present that he gave to his wife, Theodora, which proves direct links of Kosova with antic Dardania.
Energy and Green Transition is another field where Kosova is committed to a sustainable energy future. We’re heavily investing in renewable sources, particularly wind and solar and we’re eager to partner with global pioneers in this crucial sector.
Then, Light Manufacturing. We offer vast opportunities in light manufacturing, and in 2023, this sector accounted for over 43% of Kosova’s total exports, with electrical equipment, plastics, wood, and metal leading and charge. With our skilled workforce and cost advantages, we’re an ideal destination for European expansion.
And last but not least, Agriculture and Food. Contributing 17% to exports, this sector is bolstered by competitive labor costs and a booming wine industry. You could say our wines are hidden jewels waiting to be uncorked.
Thanks to all these progresses that we have achieved across the board, finally we’ve got Sovereign Credit Rating by Fitch Ratings, it’s BB-. It is not that bad for a start, which is written like BB- and we like to think of it as falling slightly short to Brigitte Bardot, BB-.
In tandem with these economic opportunities, Kosova is making massive infrastructure investments. From modern highways connecting us to the wider Balkans to digital projects that ensure we lead in connectivity. We’re building the foundation for sustainable growth. We’re currently planning over 50 infrastructure projects that will reshape transportation, environment, and energy sectors, requiring an investment of more than 7 billion euros.
Dear friends,
Kosova’s present is tightly woven into Europe’s vision, in terms of economic relations and common values of democracy, political pluralism, rule of law and human rights. Kosova’s future is in the European Union. We’re aligning regulations with the EU, and strengthening competitive ability and capacity of our economy. So that when that day comes, we maximize the benefits but also contributions to the family of European nations.
We have deep cultural and political links. We never forget the support of France during occupied Kosova in the ’90s, when we were suffering under the apartheid of the regime of Milosevic. And it was the committee of Kosova in Paris who was our intellectual voice in the world.
We never forget President Jacques Chirac when NATO intervened to stop the genocide and save the people. We never forget President Nicolas Sarkozy when Kosova declared independence and France immediately recognized us. And we never forget Bernard Kouchner who was leading the UN administration in Kosova when refugees were returning to our country.
And, I guess that you have all heard about our all time greatest writer, Ismail Kadare who was French just as much as Albanian. He had dual citizenship (Albanian citizenship and French citizenship), and whenever he came back to Albania, very often he visited Kosova as well. He loved Kosova and he loved France, and we appreciate very much the decision of President Macron to give the highest award to Ismail Kadare, our esteemed writer who makes us both proud in ourselves and known worldwide.
On the other hand, you might not be fully aware that we ‘kick the ball together’. Did you know that 20 years ago, Paris Saint-Germain recruited Lorik Cana, an Albanian from Kosova? Fast forward to just a couple of weeks ago, on October 2, when Lille’s very own Kosova player, Edon Zhegrovra, was named Man of the Match in their victory over Real Madrid. That’s right, we’ve got some football talent too, that contributes to both our nations.
Kosova also brought home two Olympic medals this summer, bringing our total to five since our independence in 2008. Most of these medals were in judo – a sport we share great success in with France. And guess what? Kosova, together with Durrës in Albania, will be hosting the Mediterranean Games in 2030, with France as a key partner in developing our infrastructure and planning the organizing of Mediterranean Games.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is more than just an invitation to invest in Kosova. This is an invitation to be part of our transformation and to increase and deepen our friendship.
Together, we can build a stronger economy, a more prosperous region, and a future that we all can be proud of.
Thank you very much!
Merci beaucoup!
Last modified: October 23, 2024