Budrika, Vitia, December 19, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the Minister of Industry, Enterprise and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, in the presence of the Mayor of the Municipality of Vitia, Sokol Haliti, accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Industry, Enterprise and Trade, Mentor Arifaj and the Deputy Minister of For Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Imri Demelezi, a member of the Assembly, participated in the inauguration of the Industrial Park in the village of Budrika in the Municipality of Vitia.
A capital investment of 1.7 million euros from the Ministry of Industry, Enterprise and Trade, in a space of 15.5 ha, the Industrial Park will support responsible and sustainable investments of businesses from the diaspora and abroad; will promote manufacturing and processing activities with advanced technology; will provide employment and training for young people as a pillar of development and progressive transformation in the country; and will increase cooperation between businesses and their promotion, for an innovative ecosystem for increased competitiveness, for more exports and less trade deficit.
“In Budrika of Vitia, we’re finishing this year with important and useful actions for our businesses, specifically for our citizens, dedicated entrepreneurs and workers,” the Prime Minister stated at the start of his speech, subsequently noting that the just-completed Industrial Park here, projected to accommodate around 30 businesses, will offer a considerable contribution to the increase of economic and regional development.
The prime minister, while highlighting the benefits of this industrial park, stated that it would serve not only businesses but also our young people by providing them with incubation space and opportunities to create start-up businesses, then cautioned that another 33 million euros will be spent in the coming three years for the establishment of new industrial and technological parks.
Concluding his speech, the Prime Minister expressed his firm belief that this park in Budrika of Vitia will stand as one of the avenues and catalysts for progress and development.
The Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship, Trade, Rozeta Hajdari, expressed her pleasure in participating in the inauguration of the Industrial Park in Budrika of Vitia. She anticipated its rapid transformation into an environmentally friendly zone, attracting our local businesses and becoming appealing for sustainable and responsible investments from the diaspora and foreign investors.
Meanwhile, Sokol Haliti, Mayor of the Municipality of Vitia, expressed eagerness for the inauguration of the Industrial Park, emphasizing the region’s potential and the pressing need for youth employment opportunities, as well as investments from the diaspora and foreign sources.
Prime Minister Kurti’s full speech:
Honorable Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade Mrs. Rozeta Hajdari,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Mentor Arifaj,
Honorable mayor of Vitia Municipality, Mr. Sokol Haliti,
Honorable Members of Parliament, Njiazi, Mirlinda,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development, Imri Demelezi,
Honorable officials of the Government, central and local state institutions,
Honorable officials and representatives of the Municipality of Vitia,
Honorable citizens,
In Budrika of Vitia, we’re finishing this year with important and useful actions for our businesses, specifically for our citizens, dedicated entrepreneurs and workers.
The newly built Industrial Park here will offer a considerable contribution to the increase of economic and regional development. Specifically, this park we are inaugurating today—an investment of 1.7 million euros from the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship, and Trade, spread across an area of 15.5 hectares, which is precisely 15 and a half hectares, here in the municipality of Vitia:
i) will support responsible and sustainable investments of our businesses, from diaspora and foreign investments; furthermore
ii) will promote manufacturing and processing activities with advanced technology;
iii) will provide employment and training for our youth as a pillar of the progressive development and transformation of our country; and
iv) will enhance collaboration among businesses and promote them towards fostering an innovative ecosystem aimed at boosting competitiveness, leading to increased exports and reduced trade deficits.
The businesses operating here in this industrial park, consolidated within one area, as well as other businesses in industrial parks across Kosovo, benefit from easier access to transportation, electricity, water, internet, and other services. Thanks to this park, they will save up to 30% of their total investment.
In addition to businesses, our youth will also benefit alongside them. This industrial park will offer space for incubation and establishment of start-up businesses. Thus, our youth will have more new opportunities in the country, before and instead of looking for them abroad.
And this space, which we are inaugurating today, will soon be enjoyed by around 30 businesses, through public calls.
This is neither the first nor the last investment in the service of businesses. We will continuously have similar inaugurations and organizations.
In the next three years, we will invest an additional 33 million euros in the construction of new industrial and technological parks. Through them, we are providing additional space for businesses and further promoting entrepreneurship, prerequisites for employment, development, and transformation.
Meanwhile, with our current governance, business circulation has continued to grow. During the January-October 2023 period, that is, this year, it reached a value of 15.83 billion euros, or almost 7% more compared to the same period of the previous year. With the doubling of exports, the export to import ratio has improved from almost 1.9 to even better than 1 to 6, thus from 1 to 9 to 1 to 6. The number of employed young people, that is, those under the age of 25, has doubled. At the beginning of 2021, there were 28,293 newly employed people, while at the end of July this year, 2023, the number of newly employed young people was 60,884. Next year is the first year where a double-digit billion figure of Gross Domestic Product will be achieved.
These are outcomes with a cause, not by chance. This is the response of the private sector and the economy to our support measures, which in these nearly 34 months of governance have never been lacking, but have come in different forms. Through the SuperPuna platform, we supported the job opportunities for youth, women, individuals with disabilities, and households without any employed members. We subsidized increased wages in the private sector; we supported businesses in expansion and increasing production and export capacities; in promoting their products at international fairs; in purchasing energy efficiency equipment, while ensuring that their electricity bills are the cheapest in the Balkans region.
I am convinced that this park, which we are jointly inaugurating today here in Budrika of Vitia, will be one of the possibilities and reasons for progress and development, so congratulations to everyone and thank you!
Last modified: December 22, 2023