Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi said at a news conference on Friday that ministry’s focus in the first hundred days in office was to deal with the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
“To achieve this goal, we reorganized the work of the Ministry of Economy and secured commitment to support all sectors to successfully overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic. Also, we started the implementation of the fourth set of economic measures aimed at keeping the jobs,” Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi told reporters presenting the achievements made in the first 100 days.
“With the fourth set of anti-crisis measures, the Ministry of Economy provided direct financial support to the tourism sector, service-providing businesses and organizing events such as weddings, to craftsmen, but also to companies that despite the pandemic have invested in improving their competitiveness,” he added.
In the first 100 days in office, he added, new contracts were signed with 39 companies and 10 annexes to contracts with a total investment cycle of EUR 56 million from the Law on Financial Support of Investments for 2020.
These are, he said, companies that, despite the global economic crisis, are investing in development, new jobs and increasing competitiveness.
“In the first half of next year we plan to make changes to the Law on Financial Support of Investments, as part of Economic Growth Plan that will supplement and expand the scope of companies and projects that will be supported,” Bekteshi noted.
Bekteshi underlined that the Ministry of Economy in the first 100 days in office was focused on tourism and hospitality sector workers that were hit hardest by the pandemic.
“In the first 100 days, the Ministry of Economy implemented five measures to support this sector, by providing funds amounting to Mden 212 million. A total of 214 individuals and legal entities received Mden 58 million for tourist tax refund. A total of 276 travel agencies received grants amounting to Mden 79.6 million and grants were also given to restaurants, playgrounds and certified tour guides,” Bekteshi underlined.
He also said that 64,675 vouchers for domestic tourism were used until Dec.15, for which about Mden 400 million of state aid were paid directly to the accommodation facilities in the country.
As part of Ministry of Economy’s COVID-19 programme, he said, which includes Mden 20 million to support craftsmen, a new measure was added to co-finance the costs for craftsmen for the purchase of tools and raw materials, which supported 225 craftsmen with a total of Mden 8.8 million.
As part of the projects that we will focus on in the coming period is to ease the conditions for doing business, he said, adding that the procedure for legal changes has already started, which enables establishment of a company with a minimum amount of share capital of 1 Euro. This measure will offer the citizens the opportunity to establish a company at minimal costs and to realize their ideas and business plans through start-ups, he said.
The Ministry of Economy also plans to establish a “Start-up Village” in the former (state-owned) “Macedonian Village”, which will offer an opportunity for numerous young people from the country and abroad to start their own businesses without having to pay for overhead costs.
Bekteshi also said that the Ministry of Economy provided a record financial support of Mden 68.8 million to support micro, small and medium enterprises, crafts, industry and entrepreneurship.
He also referred to the completed and ongoing projects in the energy sector.
He said that photovoltaic power plant in North Macedonia that simultaneously produces electricity from the sun and the reflection of light was installed by EVN in the first 100 days of the government in office. The project is part of the Ministry of Economy’s programme for premiums for photovoltaics on private land.
Bekteshi added public-private partnerships for 62.5 MW in photovoltaics have been established, which he expected to be finished next year.
Ministry of Economy we will continue to support domestic companies and foreign investments, to encourage investments in energy, tourism, crafts aimed at improving quality of life of people, Bekteshi said.
