Experts warn that country could be poorer even more, urgent government measures require

Economy experts are praising that the country is not on track in terms of economic development. They said there are decreases in capital investments in the country, no private sector strengthening, no foreign investment, and that government expert recommendations are being taken as hostility.

They are also concerned that the country can move into a social state and can become poorer.

Former director of the Kosovo Economic Ode (OEK), Safet Gerjaliu, said there is a decline in capital investments in the country, and for that issue the Government's response is necessary.

He said experts' recommendations are turning into hostility from power and that an anti-business approach has been transformed in the country.

It needs to be understood that today as an expert in the economy, to say something in the interest of the state and the citizen is accepted as hostile to power, and we really find it very difficult to give our conclusions and recommendations because they are changing into hostility. The second in this situation and with these economic parameters that Kosovo has in which we have a decrease in capital investments at the local level, we have this distance of communication and dialogue, and we have an anti-business approach means that they are really disturbing circumstances that should worry power, in particular, Minister of Finance”, he said.

Gerjaliu added that Kosovo is in danger of becoming a social state and, according to him, with such an approach the country will only become poor.

He said it is time for the state to reflect on projects in order to have economic recovery through the private sector.

The fact that in 2022 you have only 13 percent of budget use for capital projects is the first, the second I'm afraid that the attempt is Kosovo becoming a social state and with such ad-hoc action and with a social approach, Kosovo only gets poorer. There is no development in the private sector, no investment and no foreign investment, and how can we boast about these results”.

The more money is stored today at this time of inflation itself, it experiences moral amortisation or devalvation. It's the time we have to have reflection, we have to have partnerships, we have to have projects, we need to have economic recovery through the private sector and not always the private sector to be the one that's going to be punished because any attack in front of the private sector is direct contact to Kosovo citizen”, he said.

Economist Jakup Bellaqa said that considering that Kosovo has an undeveloped economy it needs to take steps to curb inflation and not make the lives of citizens difficult.

“Each government is successful in taking measures and reducing inflation and unemployment. Even those of us as developing and undeveloped economies would negatively influence the quality of life. Here it needs to increase the quality of life, to get it up, it needs to stem inflation, and it needs to hold back from rising electricity prices. It is necessary in this respect to take stabilising measures so that the lives of the citizens --” are not difficult, he said.

He also called for more support to local producers, reports EO. According to him, fiscal policy should even be undertaken in basic articles, where TVS can drop from 18 percent now to 5 percent.

“Should have more favourable customs policies, more exports than import, customs taxes should be lowered. TVS should be left indoors, not at the border either in order to favour internal producers”.

The country's “Costo of producers is lower and we will have market prices and producers' prices because prices have been raised and are still very thin because the necklace costs that occur because of the customs, customs and internal TVS. So it would have to be as a fiscal policy to interfere with basic articles, TVS should subtract from 18 percent to 5 percent in basic articles, but not you're going to have TVS.”, he said. /EO