Skopje, 14 January 2025 (MIA) - The Government of Macedonia is focused on the economy and over the past six months it has worked to implement changes that will bring predictability for investors and improved conditions for investments, said Minister of Finance Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska on Tuesday at the Central and Eastern European Forum organized by Invisso in Vienna, according to a press release by the Finance Ministry.

Dimitrieska-Kochoska was a keynote speaker at the Forum, alongside the First Vice President of the EBRD, Jürgen Rigterink, Governor of the Austrian Central Bank, Member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank, Robert Holzmann, Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia Ekaterine Guntsadze and Vice President for Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean – IFC, Alfonso García Mora.

“Over the past 7 years many changes have been made to the tax policy and that’s why we believe we should have a predictable tax policy, a flat tax, and we should ensure stability in the next 4 years by not making any changes. This is important for businesses to be able to draft their plans,” the Minister said.

Dimitrieska-Kochoska said infrastructure is another aspect the Government is focused on.

“We managed to complete a serious expressway that connects Skopje with Sofia. We are also focused on finalizing the road section in the western part of the country, from Kichevo to Ohrid, which has been under construction for more than 10 years, and we expect it to be completed in the next 2 years. This is very important for investors since there are many foreign investments in the Ohrid region,” Dimitrieska-Kochoska said.

She also highlighted the fight against crime and corruption, as well as activities aimed at fiscal consolidation and a reduction of the budgetary deficit.

“We are serious and focused on the economy, and I can promise that we will demonstrate serious results in the coming period. We are demonstrating them even now, with GDP growth in Q3 serving as serious evidence. We are also working on reforms that are very important for us and for investors. All in all, we are trying to completely change the concept of how we work so that it is founded on professionalism,” the Minister stressed.

The Finance Minister touched upon the implementation of reforms related to the country’s Euro-integration, noting that the country is following the Reform Agenda and will complete the tasks related to it.

“We will complete the things that were outlined by the Reform Agenda. The agreement for the funds is already being drafted and we are the first of the five Western Balkan countries to meet the conditions, which means we are very serious about this,” Dimitrieska-Kochoska said.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the Forum is an annual event that brings together experts from different areas of the financial and banking sectors, offering a chance to gain insight into the latest developments in the financial world and initiating discussions on trends and the future of financial markets. It features finance ministers, central bank governors, representatives from international financial institutions, banking corporations, investment funds, regional groups, and others.

Photo: Ministry of Finance