While representatives of the international community in Kosovo, such as Peter Feith, have asked for more work and responsibility from the Kosovar Institutions, representatives of those institutions and the civil society, such as Ahmet Shala and Verena Knaus (ESI), have asked for a clearer and unified politics of the EU towards Kosovo and to fully include Kosovo in the EU integration process, including the process of visa liberalization. All speakers have agreed that the economy is the key issue for the future of Kosovo.
Vienna, AUSTRIA – High representatives of the international community in Kosovo, leaders of Kosovo institutions and representatives of the civil society have discussed Kosovo in a conference in Vienna. The discussions in the conference “Independent Kosovo and the EU – Political and Economic Perspectives” were concentrated in problems of Kosovo on its way towards integration into the EU, its relations with neighbors, strengthening of its institutions and its economic problems and opportunities.
The conference of 1 October 2009, organized by the Economic Initiative for Kosovo (ECIKS), the Institute for Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) and the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Austria has gathered more than 160 people, including representatives of Austrian institutions, representatives of diplomatic corps in Vienna, companies and potential investors.
Speakers such as Erhad Busek (IDM), Stephan Lehne (Austrian Foreign Ministry), Ahmet Shala (Government of Kosovo), Peter Feith (EU Special Representative in Kosovo), Sabri Kiqmari (Kosovo Charge d’Affaires in Austria) and others have presented their views and ideas in the political panel of the conference. While representatives of the international community in Kosovo, such as Peter Feith, have asked for more work and responsibility from the Kosovar Institutions, representatives of those institutions and the civil society, such as Ahmet Shala and Verena Knaus (ESI), have asked for a clearer and unified politics of the EU towards Kosovo and to fully include Kosovo in the EU integration process, including the process of visa liberalization. All speakers have agreed that the economy is the key issue for the future of Kosovo. Minister Ahmet Shala also said that the international community must trust Kosovar Institutions to resolve some problems in their own way, adequate to circumstances in Kosovo.
The economic panel of the conference, opened with a keynote speech by the Kosovar Minister of Trade and Industry, Lutfi Zharku also offered interesting and different views about the present and the future of Kosovar economy, while the issue of energy and the construction of the new power plant was the most mentioned issue in the panel. Speakers such as Besim beqaj (Kosovo Chamber of Commerce), Kujtim Dobruna (ECIKS) Vladimir Gligorov (WIIW) and others have presented problems faced by the Kosovar economy but also opoortunities which it must use. All speakers agreed that foreign investments are key to strengthening the economy in Kosovo.
A survey with foreign investors conducted by ECIKS and presented in the conference by Kujtim Dobruna most probably best describes the problems and opportunities of the Kosovar economy. According to the survey, the biggest obstacles faced by the foreign investors in Kosovo are: infrastructure, political issues, law implementation, business environment and the lack of information about Kosovo. On the other side, the biggest opportunities in Kosovo according to foreign investors are: market access (Balkans and the EU), low labor costs, labor availability, low taxes and natural resources.
ECIKS is a non-profitable organization based in Vienna. Since 2006, ECIKS represents the Investment Promotion Agency of Kosovo (IPAK) in the German-speaking countries. The project is financed by the Austrian Government.
ECIKS
