Large number of businesses have suffered damage from visa non-liberalisation

According to OEK chairman Berat Rukiqi, there are 56 percent of businesses that have suffered direct damage from visa nonliberalisation, and requires mobilization to avoid further delays.

“Brenga of businesses is continuing in terms of liberalisation. We're constantly having problems with visas. 56 percent of businesses have suffered direct damage in their business reports with specific EU countries due to non-visa liberalisation. We should all look at these states, which may be skeptical, to give you powerful arguments that this process is no more harmful than it has been in Albania, Macedonia, Serbia and other countries in the region. It's very important that this year happens, next year come other circumstances, but we have to keep this atmosphere and not give any reason for further delay,” has been expressed in an interview with Rukiqii for Economista Online.

According to him, political problems and rule of law are also affecting the actual functioning of these businesses.

While talking about implementing the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and attracting foreign investment, Rukiqi estimates that the SAA's effects are not being seen in this period and that in the last decade we have had continued failures in attracting foreign investment.

In light of political problems, and rule of law, there is no proper functioning of institutions, especially delays in adopting laws in parliament affects minimising the relevant effects of the SAA and attracting foreign investment. In the last decade, we have had continued failures in attracting foreign investment, which are substatic that create effects or value added to the economy. It does not matter in a statistical way that they are growing up, but it also needs to be seen the content and structure of how many jobs have increased, how much export they have been able to increase prosperity,” estimates Rukiqi.

He says companies of many European Union countries are interested in investments.

All actors must sit down and create a clear vision of how to attract investments. Countries aimed at promoting investments such as Germany, Italy, France and Austria. Companies from these countries are seeing opportunities to move to other parts where they can use the workforce, or at a cost that made these products more competitive in targeted markets,” claims Rukiqi.

He has also talked about Kosovo's economic areas, which he says will create favourable conditions for these investors.

“is seeing the possibility that in some economic area we have a kind of public-private partnership with Oda involvement, and always trying to create a package of services in these areas, a legal package, a package of financial fiscal incentives that then enables the withdrawal of such investors, which can also affect production, employment and export”, he said.

Local and foreign investors often face a lack of labor force, stressing that there are many jobs that are not being met, by lack of will, small numbers of people, and lack of skills in the workforce.

According to him, this affects education, legal infrastructure and the diaspora element.

“We are of increased interest in formalism, job security, and the number of inspectors is one of the key business problems. You need to try to put together some procedure and implemented legislation. Have equal reflections of the interests of employers and employers. It takes equal access to all of us,” shows Rukiqi.

As disturbing Rukiqi also mentions the average salary and the difference between the public sector and the private sector.

Rukiqi also tells of preparations for CEFTA week, and the main activities of this week.

This time there are two main events. The local products fair, presentation to international guests from CEFTA countries. Strengthening regional business co-operation along with the counterparts of six Balkan countries and Moldova will have the most powerful businesses for creating a regional synergy for attracting foreign investment and increasing export”.

Rukiqi continues to be one of the critics of the Berlin process, and the creation of the Regional Economic Zone.

The problem lies in the mechanisms that this process is creating, because they are functioning slowly or infrastructurally. Many projects go into feasibility studies for years, then when the time of financing comes, bureaucracy in the EU is delaying. The Regional Economic Zone has progress, but there is no vision of where it will be achieved, what effects will be created through the Regional Economic Zone”, it concluded.