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The governmental plan for economic development, otherwise known as “Bansko’s Plan“ that was drafted last year, has been reactivated by the National Council for Economic Development (KKZHE), which held its first meeting on Monday, April 23.
The council is set to be composed of half of Kosovo’s ministries and chaired by Mimoza Kusari-Lila, the Minister of Trade and Industry. At its first meeting, they discussed economic reforms and policies and adopted a regulation on the structure and functioning of the council.
At the press conference held after the meeting, Minister Kusari-Lila told reporters that “this council will coordinate and guide policy development and the implementation of reforms aimed at improving the business and investment environment and achieving a sustainable economic growth “.
Kusari-Lila said that the establishment of public-private dialogue between government and businesses is crucial and for this reason, the business community will be involved in all processes: “The business community should perceive this council as a place where they can express their views and ideas for economic reforms “.
“It is extremely important for any legislation that affects economic policies to be originally discussed in this forum, so that all parties involved in this process will be informed and give their contribution to making the process more inclusive and as efficient as possible, ” stated Kusari-Lila.
In relation to the priorities of the Council, she said that “in addition to the legislative aspect, they will determine the priorities for development, consolidation of public-private dialogue and coordination of priorities, which will then be referred to the Government and Parliament if needed.”
Explaining what parts of this plan have been or are being implemented, Kusari-Lila said that the aim is to advance economic development goals and maintain macro-fiscal sustainability. “We worked toward getting into revision mode on fiscal policies and the drafting of a list of products that will be exempted from taxation such as raw materials for the manufacturing and the packaging sectors. This also includes the issuance of bonds, which are already underway” she said.
Invited to attend the council are the Chamber of Commerce, the American Chamber of Commerce and the Business Alliance of Kosovo.
/ Koha /