Skopje, 25 December 2021 (MIA) – This past year was the one when we started the recovery but unfortunately we lost opportunities due to the global crises. We could have done much more, the economy could have produced much more, but we could not influence outside factors, says Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi in an interview with MIA. 

Deputy PM Bytyqi says the country should work on cutting red tape in the coming period, enabling businesses to invest in all sectors. 

He is concerned by the thinking that construction of new buildings is damaging for the environment and the initiatives to stop construction, noting that healthy environment remains an imperative, while adding that the country must have a vision for the next 50 years and cannot operate with solutions created 50 years ago. 

“I believe this is a bad phenomenon in our society and we will have to talk to the citizens about this in the coming period. One cannot say that construction of new buildings damages the environment. A healthy environment is the Government’s imperative but this is created through norms and criteria in the construction sector, defined by experts not the citizens. I also want to see parks, bicycle tracks and proper streets, but we are entering a vicious circle by saying nothing should be built and things are looking good as they are while in fact realizing there are no proper traffic solutions, possibilities for bicycle tracks, parks etc. We must have a vision for the next 50 years, we must be thinking of underground and above-ground streets. We are the only country, not only in the Western Balkans, that has no city traffic tunnel,” notes Bytyqi. 

He says the first stage of drafting a National Development Strategy 2021-2041 has been completed, with the second stage set to begin in January. 

“We worked hard with UNDP and the British Embassy in defining the methodology for nine months. I believe this big process of defining a 20-year strategy should be inclusive and involve all stakeholders in society, without exception, because this is the only way leading to its implementation. The framework of the process of drafting the National Development Strategy is to be adopted at the first session of the new government. I expect the framework to be made public in the second half of January and afterwards work with all stakeholders so that we finally define what kind of country we want to live and work in the future,” says Bytyqi. 

According to him, there will be no electricity restrictions after New Year and assures that hikes in energy prices will not be as high as some say. 

“I know one thing for sure – we will ensure sufficient electricity quantities not only in January but beyond, which means electricity requirements will not be in jeopardy and there will be no restrictions. I can guarantee this. I know that the Government did everything in its power to ensure that energy hikes after January 1 are not as high as some say. I guarantee the price increase will not be as high as predicted by some whose main goal is to only spread fear among the people. Of course, we will continue to invest in renewable energy sources,” says Bytyqi. 

On the freeze of prices of elementary food products up to January 31, he says developments are closely monitored and other measures will be introduced if necessary. 

The Deputy PM is not a proponent of the Government intervening in the market economy by freezing prices and limiting the profit margins, because he thinks that all stakeholders in society should be responsible enough not to use the situation to increase prices. 

“There is a concept that I have been promoting for more than 20 years – when doing something, do it without harming the other. This means make profit for you but if that profit comes at the expense of hundreds of people, this is not ethically or morally right, and should not be applied according to the rules of the game. I was one of the first people to say we would be very rigorous towards businesses if they agree on prices for certain products, because this violates the fundamental principle of market economy. I am a proponent of eliminating such phenomena, not prices freezes. Unfortunately, we had to do this because our society has still not matured enough for true market values,” says Bytyqi. 

On the Bulgaria issue, he says the economy and infrastructure commissions as proposed by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Kiril Petkov are important in order to promote economic cooperation. 

“I’m inclined to say that cooperation should come naturally, but when that’s not possible, you need to create certain bodies that must set a clear agenda. We sincerely try to show that we are open for cooperation, not only with the Republic of Bulgaria, but with every neighboring country, because we firmly believe in the principle of regional competitiveness. The more we cooperate, the greater the benefit for our citizens,” says Bytyqi. 

According to him, the best example of this is the Prespa Agreement, which already gives results not just in bilateral relations, but also economic relations with Greece, including the construction of the interconnector, the Alexandroupolis terminal and the gas power plant. 

The Deputy PM says it is important for both North Macedonia and Bulgaria that the railway infrastructure be operational as soon as possible. 

“Even though the Republic of Bulgaria vetoed us twice in this period, we continued our efforts to improve road and railway infrastructure to our neighbor. The tender has just ended and my expectation is that in March we’ll already put the companies in to operation to continue the railway corridor towards Bulgaria, and at some point in June the tendr for the third phase will be announced, thus we’ll finally complete Corridor 8 to the Republic of Bulgaria. According to projections, it should be completed by 2025, contrary to Bulgarian plans which say the railway should be completed by 2027. A commission should align this, because it’s neither good for the Republic of Bulgaria nor for us that the railway gets to start operating in 2027. We need to sit down and make effort to have this happen sooner. That’s why I believe that commissions will be important in defining a clear agenda, to eliminate possible legal obstacles, if there are any, so that companies and businesspeople cooperate. On the other hand, why not create legal opportunities to promote cooperation between companies and mutual investments – Bulgarian investments in North Macedonia and Macedonian investments in Bulgaria,” stresses Bytyqi. 

We made great strides in the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative, he adds, because we’re opening mobility of the workforce between the three countries, and hopefully, very soon all six countries in the Western Balkans. The ultimate goal is greater competitiveness of our economies, while regional competitiveness will be the salvation for the region. 

Bytyqi notes that ‘Open Balkan’ is not a substitute for the European Union, and it is not about the initiative, but the goal that needs to be achieved. 

“This was supposed to be done yesterday, not today, because tomorrow will be too late. When the post-covid recovery period starts, when we’ll be talking about value chains, what will we have to offer as a national, small economy of 1.8 million people according to the latest census? What kind of workforce will we offer? As a Western Balkan region we can offer this together. We need to be pragmatic once and for all. At the end of the day, as we’re saying now that someone hasn’t created opportunities for 30 years, and we say that’s bad, in 10 years our children will say the same thing about us,” Bytyqi points out. 

He firmly believes that ‘Open Balkan’ is feasible, and that the political context in certain Western Balkan countries is probably the reason why they are not taking the necessary step, but he hopes they will join the initiative soon. 

“Since day one of my term, I have been committed to increasing competitiveness. Very little is said about the concept of competitiveness. Usually, in the region there’s a habit of talking about competition, not competitiveness. Competitiveness is when we create policies together, policies from which we’ll benefit together, and become even better and bigger in terms of global competition,” says the Deputy PM. 

Together as a region, he adds, by creating greater opportunities, we get to faster and more sustainable solutions. 

“We’re usually too obsessed with funds and talk about how such initiatives have an ulterior motive. If we don’t talk about mobility of people today, when will we prove it, is it when we join the EU? It will be too late then. I fear that once we’ll want to do that after five, ten or fifteen years, there will be no one to do it for, because everyone with an open mind would leave seeing that we’ve been rigid in our thinking to create a better vision and opportunities for our children. That’s why I say it’s not about the initiative, let’s talk about the goals. What’s the ultimate goal we want to achieve and what is it we want to give to our children. We won’t be able to achieve this alone. We cannot be an isolated island in the Western Balkans and in Europe,” says Bytyqi. 

He also comments on whether he’ll remain in the post of Deputy PM in the new government. 

“I believe all office holders should perform their work responsibly and with certain results. Over the past period I tried to be responsible and deliver results. It’s up to the new PM-designate to decide whether it has been enough for me to be part of the new government. If the decision is for me to be part of the government, I’ll certainly accept it because I believe we share the same values and the same policies, which is the key for our country at the moment – that we support each other,” underlines Deputy PM Bytyqi in the MIA interview. ik/nn/