Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and the government’s economic team held an online meeting with the Economic Chamber president Branko Azeski and the representatives from the Association of Foreign Companies with Technologically Advanced Production under the Foreign Investors Council, including association president Viktor Mizo.
Participants discussed the conclusions related to priority issues presented by the association at the meeting held in December 2020, according to which the priorities are in several key areas in terms of customs duties for import, infrastructure, tax policies, investment costs, improvement of legislation, the government said in a press release.
Zaev stressed the government’s focus on boosting investors confidence, encouraging new investments, promoting export, strengthening human capital and improving the country’s overall economic growth.
Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi, Finance Minister Fatmir Besimi, Minister of Labour and Social Policy Jagoda Shahpaska, Technological Industrial Development Zone director Jovan Despotovski and Agency for Foreign Investments and Promotion of Exports director Dejan Pavleski also participated in online meeting.
The meeting emphasized the importance for the parliament to build a consensus on issues of national interest for country’s economic development.
It was additionally pointed out that a positive signal is the exports growth. According to statistics, total exports in January 2021 amounted to 32.5 billion denars, a 15.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Import coverage by export in January 2021 was 84.7%.
The government, it is stated, continuously supports the export-oriented companies. The fifth set of economic measures includes elimination of the customs duty rates for 71 products and raw materials by the end of 2021. For export companies, customs duties for 31 raw materials and meat were additionally removed and reduced.
A revision of the customs tariff and harmonization with the regulations of the EU market and the markets of the members of the World Trade Organization is also planned, the government said in a press release.
