Sahin: 70 thousand businesses were damaged by reductions, 3m euros worth of generators

So said the chairman of the Kosovar Alliance of Business (AKB), Agim Sahini, at the closing conference for 2021 on the subject “Energy Crisis and its effects on Kosovo economy”. He said over 3m euros are the expenses of businesses who have used generators.

“The GDP has been conducting a study during this time when you saw disruptions in the country for up to 6 hours, in the Kosovo regions, and this has led to more than 7,000 businesses. This disruption has created independence and damage to the country's economy, where 60 thousand businesses have used generators, while another 10 thousand have not had generators and shut them down. Those with generators have spent over 3m euros”, Sahin said.

Kosovo's “image was severely damaged, with international media writing that Kosovo returned to darkness. The government was wrong to refuse American gas, where this would be a good investment. Even the investor who left Vushtrria and went to invest in northern Macedonia. All of this has created a place for investment, but Kosovo rejected”, he said, as he added that the crisis has engulfed the whole world.

The owner of the company “Dino Company”, Abednego Salihu, said that the costs from the electricity cuts have been enormous, even said tourists who left Kosovo for the cause.

Whatever we do is connected to energy and problems have been huge. The reductions have brought defects and those defects are huge, and every day at the hotel, I've spent a thousand euros, and I haven't made this profit”.

There are also tourists who have left Kosovo as a cause of lack of electricity. What surprised me was gastronomy TV, which was eight percent, now on January 1st will be 18 percent, and those who have made that decision must have a favor. We've got a lot of credit we've got, and we've even got workers to keep”.

UN deputy head Soat Berisha has criticised institutions for a series of energy-related failures, the consequences of which are suffering not only businesses, but all of the country's consumers.

It called on the relevant institutions to take quick action aimed at providing businesses and citizens with 24 hours of electricity.

While Lumniye Aydini, director of the UN management, said she presented the various activities they have accomplished in 2021 with the aim of promoting domestic products and services, even in countering the challenges Kosovo businesses faced by the Covid 19 pandemic, where many activities abroad fall short.

“During numerous meetings with local and international institutions, we asked for private sector assistance, given that our businesses despite the obstacles they have adding to the pandemic, many of them cannot afford it, Aydin said.

Silver Fetah, head of the UN branch for the Dukagjin Plain, said 20 per cent of the businesses on this side are closed as a cause of pandemic and no government co-ordination to help them.

According to him, the disturbing problem remains when it is now time for exiles for the holiday season, and according to our statistics like the UN, large revenues regenerate, but now in this period due to lack of energy there are millions of losses.

According to him, this situation has hurt Dukagjin's flat economy even more, reports Online Economy.

“We as the UN have received safe information from businesses that have proof that KED's officers in Gjakova, under orders from the irresponsible management have deliberately removed security from the trafos which the area has been in the largest power charge, where other processing businesses in those parts are in the works, said Adred Hasani. He said how the UN is required by responsible bodies to deal with these cases and responsible persons to be brought to justice.