Even the Director of the EBRD makes it known: Albania, RMV, Bosnia are investing and advancing 3 times more than Kosovo

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Director Sergey Maslichenko has declared that Kosovo has great potential for economic and infrastructure development.

Maslichenko has said that about 70 to 80 per cent of projects this organisation supports in Kosovo belong to the private sector in Kosovo.

I think we have good co-operation with Government, and especially with the private sector. I have met several entrepreneurs and visited several companies, and I think it is impressive how private businesses operate here and most projects 70 to 80 percent belong to the private sector in Kosovo. With Government we have one or two projects each year, but we can have more. I think Kosovo needs more projects, especially in infrastructure. BERZh is happy to offer more money and technical assistance to prepare and implement these” projects, Maslichenko said.

BERZH Director added that they have supported energy sector projects in Kosovo Telekom, as well as other public companies

In February of this year we have signed the memorandum of understanding together with the prime minister in London at the Investment Summit in the Western Balkans and we have estimated investments in the next four years with about four million mainly in infrastructure, which is in energy, transport. So we are currently developing several projects, but we have to wait for the treatment plan and energy efficiency of public buildings with the Kosovo Efficiency Energy Fund, but the plan is to do more projects and we can do more. There are highways, railways, we have energy sector projects with KEK and Kosovo Telecom and many public companies, and with the EBRD we can do more and try to figure out how to upgrade co-operation with Government”, the director has launched.

Maslichenko has announced they are implementing several projects, but, according to him, there are delays in the tender.

“We have several projects and their implementation, one is the project for regional roads such as the route to Gjilan and Ferizaj, which is already having slow progress but we have some delays in the tender, but we are hoping to see the road to circulation, at least for Ferizaj by next year. As far as railways are concerned, we've implemented several projects with Infracos for several years. It's implemented about 50 percent, but I think the Government and public enterprises should prioritize this project to demonstrate progress and in order to build more railways, we're talking railways that connect north and south, but we can also help Government build railways from east to west to”, Maslichenko said.

He has said that Kosovo has very good future and with great investment potential.

Adding that when Kosovo builds infrastructure projects, more opportunities for direct investment from foreigners will be opened.

“I think that Kosovo has a very good future with a huge potential that needs to be given, and I think time is critical because the possibilities are high. We see that Albania, Northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina are investing more and advancing rapidly in their countries, almost three times more. They are a somewhat similar economy, and I think that Kosovo and the Government should prioritise the launch and delivery of large projects. In this issue when building infrastructure projects, more opportunities open for direct investment by foreigners and for foreign investors to come here and the potential will be seen, otherwise there will only be discussions about potential, but we as a bank and all investors treat the country depending on the results, and that's what we all would like to see more”, he concluded for Online Economics.