Skopje, 4 March 2024 (MIA) – Deputy Prime Minister in charge of economic affairs, Fatmir Bytyqi, participated Monday in the Kopaonik Business Forum held in Serbia, where he addressed a panel discussion on “The Western Balkans: Regional Economic Cooperation”, said the Government in a press release.

In his address, the Deputy PM said that mutual cooperation and the creation of firm economic interdependence, instead of dependence, in the region is the path that will lead the entire region to prosperity, growth, development and economic resilience, in addition to facilitating membership into the European Single Market.

“We should accept the regional initiatives as an opportunity to facilitate the cooperation between the Western Balkan countries and bolster the competitiveness of our economies,” said Bytyqi at the Forum.

Speaking about the challenges of the current geopolitical context, the Deputy PM touched upon the need of “near shoring” among companies who face disruptions in their supply chains.

“Especially in this post-crisis period, near shoring is a clear and learned lesson that the Western Balkan countries need to implement quickly and make use of our closeness to the European centers, so we can grow into an economic space for new investments,” said Deputy PM Bytyqi.

Bytyqi also spoke about the economic policies of the Government of North Macedonia aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the economy, during which he touched upon the Law on Financial Support of Investments.

“We treat both domestic and foreign companies equally, we are actively helping them to be more competitive, to construct capacities in order to meet the high standards in various industries. Just through this law, we’ve provided around EUR 100 million to 919 companies that invested around EUR 500 million in our economy. In this way, we are creating a domestically competitive economy and creating added value,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Photo: Government