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ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
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MacedonianInformationCentre
page 5 F ORBES
RANKS MACEDONIA
39TH FOR DOING BUSINESS
Director
Dragan Antonov
page 8 X -TRADE,
Address
Naum Naumovski Borce 73
1000 Skopje
Republic of Macedonia
page 11 O NLY
Phone/Fax
+389 2 311-78-76
+389 2 311-78-34
page 14 H OTEL
NEW FOREIGN
INVESTMENT TO ENTER SKOPJE
0.2 PERCENT UNSOLVED
CADASTRE CASES
KEEPING TO FLOURISH
THIS AND NEXT YEAR
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Sonja Kiridzievska
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Ema Trenevska
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Sonja Efremova
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ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
that our staff is the driving force of developing personal careers. Also, we change
the traditional approach to new technologies, said Andrew Brown, manager of the
delivery center in Skopje.
According to British Ambassador
Charles Garrett, this British Company is
very successful in Macedonia.
-I hope that Endava will continue
to contribute to the development of the
Macedonia a business supportive environment Given the need for speed in todays global marketplace,
Macedonia is fast becoming a major European service and distribution
hub. You can set up a company here in just four hours! The World
Bank Ease of doing Business 2014 report shows that Macedonia is
a regional heavyweight and 25th country in the World. Macedonia
has also had a positive Forbes review coming 36th in a ranking of
Best Countries for Business.
EXPORT PROMOTION STRATEGY In the process of preparation
for the exports, the companies need to conduct a research that will
help them choose a market which will contribute to the maximization
of the benefits and minimization of the risks. The same research will
also help the managers decide not only on the markets to enter but
also on the modes of entry.
EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE Macedonia is at the crossroads
of South Eastern Europe, which makes it an ideal transit and distribution center for products for European markets. The developed road
and railway infrastructure, in combination with the small area of the
country enables access to every inhabited place in Macedonia in less
than 3 hours. The Railway infrastructure in the Republic of Macedonia
has been put in place since 1873, when the first Railway Track from
Skopje to Thessaloniki in Greece has been constructed. Macedonian
railway network system is connected north-south with the railway
network systems of Serbia and Greece.
LABOR LEGISLATION The recently enacted new Labor Law,
prepared in accordance with the EU standards, provides increased
flexibility of the labor market by offering and promoting flexible
and different employment contracts and flexibility of working time.
Also, reforms in this sphere have introduced training programs,
support for entrepreneurs, as well as improvement of the overall business climate. The average gross monthly salary in 2013is
502.This amount includes the net salary, personal income tax and
social contributions for pension and disability insurance, health
insurance and employment insurance. The minimum salary for
each professional branch is defined by Collective agreements.
free healTH zones Health tourism, attracting foreign capital
to introduce new health methods and procedures, transfer of new
technology, increased competitiveness, employment and quality of
the higher education offer in the field of medicine are part of the
benefits expected from the establishment of free health zones. The
whole concept is designed to establish a health zone over a greater
territory which is likely to be in Skopje on 1520 acres for hospitals
founded and built by foreign companies.
INCREASED SUBSIDIES FOR TOURISTS FROM SERBIA, BULGARIA AND BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA The Government
decided to increase the amount of subsidies for attracting tourists
from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Bulgaria from 25 to 35
euro per tourist. Subsidies for tourists from 6 other states i.e. the
United States, England, Germany, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Qatar
are announced for 2015.
investment climate
Foreign risks are gradually reducing and we surpassed the danger for entering the debt crisis, showed the National Bank at the end
of 2015, when it decided to cancel the safety measures, given the positive balance of payments, and cash flow to Greece
The interest rates of deposits and credits reached the lowest level in history. The
basic interest rate for last year was 3.25
percent, and banks dont expect it to increase this year.
Foreign risks are gradually reducing
and we surpassed the danger for entering the debt crisis, showed the National
in percentage
22
17,500
20.3
19.0
14,000
18
10,500
16
14
7,000
10.6
3,500
12
10.4
10.3
10.1
10
8
0
12.2014
3.2015
6.2015
20
Source:
http://www.forbes.com/places/macedonia/
ECONOMY
According to experts, last year was the best investment year for Macedonia. Most of these companies already started
operating and some of them signed investment agreements and are getting ready for starting with their production
500
450
500
400
350
400
300
300
250
200
200
150
Millions of dollars
Values in $
ECONOMY
According to the President of the Customers Organizations and owner of the textile firm Moda of Sveti Nikole, Angel Dimitrov, in addition to
being interested in striking cooperation with Macedonian partners, Turkish firms are also interested in making investments in the textile sector
100
100
50
0
1954
1959
1964
1969
1974
Average salaries
in textile industry
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2002
Value of Textile
and Apparel Production
he contribution of direct investments to GDP is reduced. In the period July-September 2015, 169.8 million
euro were invested in Macedonia which
is 30 million more compared to the same
period last year, but its contribution to
GDP in the third quarter is several times
lower compared to the contribution registered in the second quarter. According to
economists, figures show that Macedonia
is in a worse position than Montenegro
and Serbia and is leveled with Kosovo.
The GDP contribution shows that it
is a matter of activities that dont influence the GDP and arent productive,
which left the country or reduced their
capacity, said Zoran Vitanov from the Association of Managers of Macedonia.
Government is satisfied with the improved conditions for starting a business
and with the facilitated conditions for
attracting foreign investments. In 2015,
thirty companies decided to invest in
Macedonia and in 2016 this number is
expected to increase.
Foreign investments are one of the pillars of Governments economic policy,
numerous road shows are being organized
and there is opening of new technological
zones, but the amount of subsidies, spent
for direct and indirect support of facto-
90 000
80 000
70 000
60 000
50 000
40 000
30 000
20 000
10 000
0
2013
Equipment
2014
Construction
Other
Source: State Statistical Office
ECONOMY
Government is satisfied with the improved conditions for starting a business and with the facilitated conditions for attracting foreign
investments. In 2015, thirty companies decided to invest in Macedonia and in 2016 this number is expected to increase
ECONOMY
Some of the recommendations for improving the cooperation between foreign investors and local supplies
presented by the Council of Foreign Investors are: creating unified and integrated online database of
domestic companies which are potential supplies, initiating regular business meetings
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
IV'13
I'14
II
III
IV
I'15
II
II
IV
company they started operating in Macedonia. They already engaged and trained
32 persons, out of the 100 anticipated
ones. Campagnano stressed that they also
considered other countries, but eventually decided to invest in Macedonia. The
Company will operate on the French,
English, Slovenian and Italian market.
talian construction company Condotte will build four small hydropower plants in Macedonia, an investment
worth 19 million euro, money which will
directly enter the Macedonian energy
sector.
CEO of Condotte, Duccio Astaldi
informed that they consider expanding
their capacities in Macedonia, given the
favorable conditions for leading a business.
We are particularly pleased with the
framework prepared by the Macedonian Government for foreign investors,
stressed Astaldi, adding that Condotte
is interested to further invest in Macedonia.
ENERGY
Condotte is receiving so called feed-in tariffs from the state, the same as the remaining 64 concessioners in Macedonia. The ultimate
goal is production of power from renewable sources and enabling Macedonia to get cheaper electricity in medium-term
10
RAILWAY MODERNIZATION
TRANSPORT
The new passenger train with a capacity of 200 passengers was procured from China in line with highest
European standards, and was promoted last year. This is the first out of the six passenger trains that Government
ordered from Chinese CSR Corporation which will start operating in regular traffic in January
million euro, secured through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. All six trains will be imported by
April, which will cover 60 percent of the
train lines in Macedonia. Government is
reviewing a plan to procure new trains in
order to cover the entire rail network. Efforts will be made to procure new trains
11
1.200.000
1.027.282
1.000.000
838.434
800.000
636.798
600.000
400.000
323.695
200.000
0
1.040.268
337.040
21.990
2005
389.447
19.329
2006
651.432
8.929
2007
4.054
2008
4.814
2.862
2009
2010
3.894
2011
1.967
2012
1.299
2013
Backlog applications
6,79%
5,73%
6,00
%
4,00
2,29%
0,64%
2,00
0,00
2005
2006
2007
2008
0,44%
2009
0,57%
2010
0,34%
2011
0,19%
2012
0,12%
2013
The construction of the ski center would cost around 76 million euros and the promotional activities for the implementation of the project continue
CONSTRUCTION
The annual program for realization of the strategic plan of the Cadastre is expected to initiate the new procedure for
registration of property in three steps. By the end of March, it is expected to complete the digitalization of cadastre
plans for the entire territory of Macedonia, while the construction land register will be operational by June
12
industry
INFLATION
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
-2
-4
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
forecast
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
-0.8
1.6
3.9
3.3
2.8
-0.3
0.0
1.5
tion and Support of Tourism in Macedonia stress that the training was organized
for the tour-operators which will attend
the Conference in Ohrid and present
their offers.
-We believe we have found a way to attract foreign tourists by promoting Macedonia as favorable destination for active
tourism, stressed Director of the Agency
for Promotion and Support of Tourism in
Macedonia, Lela Krstevska.
From the Association of Active Tourism
ATTA explain that active tourism is glob-
13
TOURISM
14
According to Mihajlo Kolev, General Manager of Opera House Hotel, the expectations and anticipations for this and for next year
are positive. In 2017, Skopje will host a global event and out metropolis will be put on the map of sport mega powers hand in hand
with the European cities. The Football Federation of Macedonia arranged the UEFA Super Cup to be organized in Skopje
hand with the European cities. The Football Federation of Macedonia arranged
the UEFA Super Cup to be organized in
Skopje.
This kind of vast global event will
definitively attract enormous wave of
tourists, worldwide. It is a fact that while
organizing this global event we will need
to improve and boost the hotel and ca-
Tourists
Nights spent
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
Domestic
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Foreign
15
Number of livestock
800 000
700 000
2013
600 000
2014
500 000
400 000
300 000
200 000
100 000
0
Cattle
Pigs
Sheep
Goats
AGRICULTURE
Insurance is the most effective way for compensating agricultural damages, stress from the Insurance Supervision Agency
16
Experts are decisive that the soil in Strumica region is very favorable for these attractive croppers
Structure of orchards
Almonds and hazelnuts
3%
Pears
3%
Other
3%
Apricots
2%
Cherries
5%
Walnuts
5%
Apples
44%
Sour cherries
8%
Peaches
12%
Plums
15%