Prishtina, 7 May, 2024
The next meeting of the National Council for Economy and Investments was held today, chaired by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti. Among the participants were the first deputy prime minister, Besnik Bislimi and ministers and representatives from government cabinets.
In his speech, the Prime Minister said that a strong public-private dialogue strengthens the trust between the two sectors, therefore it is essential to understand how such a well-structured dialogue can transform our economy.
On this occasion, the prime minister called on our most competitive businesses, business associations and projects funded by donors to continue and strengthen cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, to develop strategic and operational plans that increase foreign investments direct, exports and promote effective business development.
In front of the audience, the Prime Minister listed some of the achievements of the last period, from the inauguration of the Millennium Challenge Corporation Compact Program, MCC, and the successful conclusion of the first solar auction of 100 MW to the positive evaluation by Fitch Ratings.
In his address, Deputy Prime Minister Bislimi addressed the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, its aims and objectives. The framework of the fields has been standard and established by the European Commission and consists of five of them: governance; green and digital transition; the development of the private sector and the business environment; education or development and preservation of human capital; and fundamental values and the rule of law.
The Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, after making a summary of the schemes for energy efficiency, said that with the level of investments foreseen in this sector, Kosovo is the first in the region to have so many investments in this field at this key time, however , the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari said that supporting the creation of modern industrial parks is one of the priority measures of the first industrial policy 2030, i.e. since the time after the war, which is a comprehensive development strategy for the sector of production of Kosovo.
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi, presented some of the activities that have been undertaken during this period since the preliminary meeting of this Council in February of this year, such as the continuation of work on various infrastructure projects in the country.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Thank you Mr. Artan Mehmeti, head of the secretariat of the National Council for Economy and Investments,
The honorable Mr. Besnik Bislimi, First Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Development and Dialogue,
Dear Ms. Artane Rizvanolli, Minister of Economy,
The honorable Mr. Hekuran Murati, Minister of Finance, Labor and Transfers,
Dear Ms. Rozeta Hajdari, Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade,
The Honorable Deputy Minister of Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure, Hysen Durmishi,
Dear representatives of diplomatic missions,
Dear entrepreneurs, representatives, leaders of business associations,
Ladies and gentleman,
Before we begin, I would like to share with you a simple observation: When an economic businessman and a public official sit down for a discussion, as we have here today, they both have their eyes on different things – the businessman is normally and usually interested in the profit in the end, while the public official is necessarily in the policies in the beginning regarding the business sector. It’s a good reminder that we can all learn from each other and help each other and all together.
Today, as we gather here to discuss the important relationship between the public and private sectors, it is essential to understand how a well-structured public-private dialogue can transform our economy.
First of all, a strong public-private dialogue strengthens trust between the private and public sectors. Trust is the armor in our economic foundation. With it, we can build great things. Without it, even the best plans fail.
Through the dialogue, we identify opportunities for the development of the private sector, increasing foreign direct investments, increasing exports and raising the overall competitiveness of Kosovar businesses. Imagine the possibilities when we combine our strengths and share a common vision.
Equally important is our workforce. Through vocational training and education, aimed at meeting the needs of the private sector, we are creating a safer future for all. We want our citizens to be well prepared and competitive, right here in Kosovo.
By creating valuable employment opportunities, we improve the well-being of our citizens. This isn’t just about profits – it’s about people.
I call on our most competitive businesses, business associations and projects financed by donors to continue and strengthen the cooperation with the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. Together, we can develop strategic and operational plans that increase foreign direct investment, exports and promote effective business development.
My Chief of Staff at the Prime Minister, Luan Dalipi, and the relevant ministries, have worked closely with the Secretariat of this Council. We have already seen the initial results from this dialogue. For example, we are moving to remove the export license for pharmaceutical products, a non-tariff barrier that made business difficult for many years.
This is a testament to what we can achieve through inter-institutional coordination and clear communication with businesses.
Last week we inaugurated the Compact Program of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, MCC, and a historic and at the same time avant-garde project in the energy sector worth 236.7 million euros – of which 202 million dollars is a grant from the US Government, while the rest is co-financed by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. This project will make Kosovo the country with the largest battery capacity per capita in the world.
An item on the agenda today is also the approval of the Rules and Procedures of the Council’s work. This structured approach will improve our dialogue, leading us to an effective collaboration.
During my recent visit to Germany’s Hannover Messe, the world’s largest international technology and industry fair, I proudly highlighted our improvements in the rule of law, freedom and democracy. Kosovo is a democratic, stable economy with an open market and uncompromising legality. We had 42 square meters this year for the first time with ten businesses, half were light processing and the other half from the ICT sector. We will work to participate more and more in international fairs which help our export and also foreign investments.
We have identified over 6 billion euros of investment needs for new public infrastructure or to improve existing public infrastructure.
We also successfully concluded the first solar auction of 100 MW. A Swiss-German consortium, “Orllati” led by a successful Kosovar-Swiss business that offered a price of 48.88 EUR/MWh, or 35% lower than the ceiling price we had originally set, emerged among the six reputable bidders. So 75 euros per MW hour. While we are preparing for the next auction, this time with wind energy with a capacity of 150MW.
Kosovo recently achieved its inaugural sovereign credit rating from Fitch Ratings, thanks to support from USAID. This achievement will increase foreign investment, lower borrowing costs, improve access to global capital markets and further boost our country’s economic growth.
I hope that our dialogue can increasingly focus on investment and export opportunities. Good strategy and policies prevent problems. Over time, we will coordinate our dialogue so that both government and the private sector have clarity on how to improve the business environment.
So, let this dialogue be a proof of our mutual trust, but at the same time also an opportunity to increase this mutual trust.
I therefore emphasized the importance of trust in the Public Private Dialogue, the potential for growth and competition, the role of workforce development, the call for businesses and donors to cooperate with the Government of Kosovo, with our aim to focus our dialogue on pro-active opportunities.
When we work together, we create a powerful team, and if we may occasionally have different opinions along the way, we must see these as a function of the road and the increasing speed of our common walk.
Our successes are not divided. A successful government helps the private sector of the economy and vice versa and in this way we strengthen our state and our citizens allowing us to invest more in education, health, defense, science and culture and other important sectors.
We know that the private sector and the public sector are separate sectors, but as the etymology of the word economy says, ‘oikonomia’, it comes from the ancient Greek, which means housework, the house is one, so the singular number, economy, home, which is common to all of us.
Our economic competitiveness will bring prosperity and well-being to our citizens, improving their quality of life and building a brighter future for everyone, and when we say everyone we mean our generation and those who come after us.
Thank you all and let’s have a productive meeting today, with fruitful discussions, where we learn from each other to work together!
Thank you.
Last modified: May 8, 2024