A large number of businesses, representatives of chambers, and institutions participated in the traditional year-end meeting of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

During the meeting, the challenges faced by businesses throughout the year and their impact on economic development were discussed.

The Chairman of the Board of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Skënder Krasniqi, said that this meeting is not just a tradition, but a testimony that businesses are united.

“The absence of functioning institutions for many months has blocked the resolution of many key issues, such as the Law on Public Property, which caused damage to businesses, the economy, and our country, and also prevented discussions on many other laws needed for the development of the country and businesses. During the year, we cooperated with municipalities, local and international institutions to develop better laws and a more favorable business climate, signed new memoranda of cooperation, creating new development bridges for the future, but our work does not end here,” Krasniqi said.

While thanking businesses for their cooperation during the year, Krasniqi said that “the cost of inaction is much greater than the cost of a mistake.”

“Today we face a shortage of workers and labor, and the only response is our growth as a community, strengthening our shared budget, and increasing contribution. Success does not happen by chance, in any business or state. It is built through daily work and cooperation. As your representatives, we are committed; good laws are those that allow us to work more and easier. Therefore, I invite you to be even more united next year in developing the legal infrastructure that serves businesses,” Krasniqi said.

The Executive Director of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kushtrim Ahmeti, said this year was marked by significant challenges and problems for businesses.

“One of the heaviest blows to the economy was the market liberalization process, or the transition of 1,300 businesses into this (energy) market. We reacted strongly, participated, organized protests together with business associations. We continued to provide sufficient arguments regarding the numerous violations that occurred in this process. Many of these violations were also noted by the European Union in their statements regarding this issue. Unfortunately, this was not the only challenge. Before the liberalization process, there was also a 16.1% increase in energy prices, which caused further consequences, including a rise in product prices. With the latest data, we see a significant increase in imports, and unfortunately, a decrease in our business turnover, which will undoubtedly affect the country’s economic development,” Ahmeti said.

He added that the long absence of functioning institutions has made doing business in Kosovo more difficult.

“The prolonged lack of functioning institutions has complicated doing business in Kosovo. A large number of businesses, as we have warned, have abandoned investments in capacity growth, which would have positively impacted the country’s budget, economic power, and employment. This is a major crisis in the sector, and unfortunately, some of these investments are being moved to neighboring countries and beyond. Let me express my great concern: just last year, in Albania alone, Kosovar businesses invested 240 million euros, not to mention other countries,” he said.

At this traditional year-end meeting, the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry presented an appreciation award to Halit Bajraliu from the company “Agi Dani” on the occasion of his retirement, for his cooperation over the years.