ZRE Government Urged for Delay of Free Market outline

Through a public reaction, this association requires urgent review of the decision, calling it hasty and unfair, because it is being implemented without a transitional period and without institutional and commercial preparation.

“Based on our data, with such a decision, over 1240 active companies, including 130 production companies, which employ in total over 143,000 citizens of the Republic of Kosovo”, are said to be at risk, stressing that this segment is vital for industrial development and social sustainability.

The association also criticises the way businesses are classified, saying that separation only according to the number of employees creates outstanding inequality.

The current decision, which unjustly categories businesses on the basis of the number of employees, creates obvious injustices. The concrete illustration of this inequality is the case of two companies with the same production activity: The company A with 43 employees, which remains on the regulated market, and the company B with 57 employees, which is forced to go out on the free market and face increased prices above 240%”, the LBK points out.

This arbitrary division, as the LBK calls it, not only violates fair competition in the local market, “but makes the competitiveness of our businesses on the European market impossible, in which we claim to integrate”.

The LBK says their demand is clear and argued on economic and practical grounds.

“Put off implementing the decision by 2027, providing sufficient time for market preparation, building institutional infrastructure and supporting businesses in this transition”.

“Create a transition phase with clear standards, providing stability and predictability for businesses and guaranteeing equality of treatment for all economic operators”.

“include economic institutions and business community representatives in drafting the market liberalisation model, so that this process is functional, fair and in service of sustainable development”, there are three of the requirements of the LBK.

The Kosovo Business Connection says it is not against liberalisation of the energy market é “instead, our businesses are willing to operate in open and competitive market conditions, but it should only happen when the real conditions for equal and fair functioning --” exist.

On the contrary, this association says that an immediate and unaccomplished implementation of this decision will lead to increased closures of production companies, increasing unemployment, rising inflation through transferred costs to citizens, and reducing Kosovo's economic competitiveness on international markets.

“This is a critical moment to make a responsible, prudent decision and based on national economic interest. We appeal for open dialogue, institutional co-operation and postponement of the implementation of this decision, to prevent irreparable consequences for the country's economy”, the LBK's response concluded. /Periscope/