On this year's International Accreditation Day, the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade has set the goal of supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Acting Minister of Industry, Rozeta Hajdari, stated that according to reports from global organizations for economic cooperation, Kosovo surpasses the average of the six Western Balkan economies.

“Accreditation, along with standardization and market surveillance, is a fundamental pillar of infrastructure and quality. This World Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation in various industrial and other sectors. This year’s theme is supporting small and medium enterprises, focusing on how businesses benefit from accreditation… Our government’s objectives aim to bring economic diversification through the liberation of industrial production. We have undertaken significant improvements in the legal framework to enhance the business environment by aligning local laws with European Union legislation… Reports from international economic cooperation organizations highlight Kosovo’s progress in policymaking, emphasizing that Kosovo surpasses the average of the six Western Balkan economies,” said Hajdari.

Meanwhile, the Head of Cooperation from the EU Office, Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, added that producers in Kosovo still have to rely on foreign bodies for conformity assessment, which leads to additional costs.

“We especially want to highlight how accreditation empowers small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and how, through engagement with accredited services, SMEs can demonstrate their reliability and competence to consumers and potential partners, often creating equal opportunities with large corporations… Kosovo’s economy is, to a certain extent, dominated by SMEs, particularly micro-enterprises, while most of the added value comes from a small number of medium-sized companies. Over the last 10 years, Kosovo’s exports have shown a clear pattern of gradual diversification, confirming that Kosovar entrepreneurs can be competitive when provided with the right conditions… Currently, for products that require third-party assessment, producers in Kosovo still have to rely on foreign conformity assessment bodies, which results in additional costs. The European Union report emphasizes the importance of further developing the quality infrastructure system’s capacities in Kosovo to make progress in market surveillance, which should benefit all stakeholders,” he said.

The Director General of Accreditation, Irfan Lipovica, stated that the Kosovo Accreditation Directorate (DAK) is working with both local and international experts to ensure that the “passport” provided by accreditation is recognized in many countries around the world.

“Accreditation acts as a passport verifying the implementation of standards. We at the Accreditation Directorate are working in cooperation with local experts and our international partners to improve our services every day and to enhance our international subjectivity, which is very important. The accreditation passport should be valid in many countries around the world,” Lipovica stated.