Rafuna: Non-exploring capital investment budget concern

The chairman of the Kosovo Economic House (OEK), Lulzim Rafuna, has addressed criticism of the Kurti Government for low budget spending for capital investment.

In an interview for Online Economics, Rafuna has said that money means for capital investments totaling 800m euros have had to be spent, even increased.

The expenses, which are in advance in the Budget Law that are over 800 million for capital investments, have had to be a lot but that amount, that amount to increase, that there's even more investment than they are for our economy, that's good for our business and that's a lot of circuit effect, because it affects everyone for good. Our initial request has been that at least if you can't increase or bring other qualitative investments, at least these that are available in the budget Law that are brought in over 800 million, be spent so that there are not some kind of success in the state budget but spent on those projects that are pre-represented in the budget Law that has been approved”, Rafuna said.

Another concern for Rafuna is the high trade deficit, while it is expressed ready to offer expertise as Ode to take measures in order to increase productivity.

The high trade deficit has now reached the value of about 6 billion we import, while exporting only 800 million. The last couple of years is not that there's a significant export increase, we cover the 15 percent commercial deficit that is very small, and we like Ode have offered all our expertise for the Government of Kosovo which is sponsors of laws so that we can identify in which sector we are competitive and take measures of fiscal and administrative policy, but why not other measures to help these sectors develop even learning and increase the productivity of our Kosovo products that emerge not only in the regional market but also in the European market when we are now becoming part of all the agreements that are released by the Berlin <-few) Process, Rafuda has declared.

The head of OEK has said that Kosovo is failing to take advantage of its potential and that it is human resources. This, according to him, helps improve the trade balance.

We have a lot of potential, we have huge possibilities. Our greatest potential is still human resources - young people and young ones. In goods we have the trade deficit, but in services we have the benefits, so we export more than we import services thanks to young people who are very capable, speak more than two foreign languages, and I believe we have a lot of capacity to use”, Rafuna said.