Paris, 23 May 2012 – The Embassy of Republic of Kosovo in Paris, in partnership with the French Agency for International Company Development (UBIFRANCE), organized today in Paris a conference aimed at promoting investment possibilities in Kosovo, on the topic: ‘Business investments in Kosovo’.

The conference was organized under the patronage of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and coordinated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Finance.

The conference was attended by 60 representatives of medium and large enterprises in France, representatives of French commercial associations and representatives of French institutions and diplomatic corps accredited in Paris.

The Ambassador of Republic of Kosovo in France, Muhamedin Kullashi, said to all attendees that Kosovo offers a great potential and remains open for French and European investments.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, emphasized in her opening remarks Kosovo’s vast economic opportunities, in which European companies could successfully invest.

She spoke on the process of deep structural reform, currently conducted in Kosovo with the aim of becoming a strong partner for foreign investments.

“Kosovo is a country that provides numerous investment possibilities. It has a good strategic position; it is the state with lowest costs in the Eurozone; it has the youngest population in Europe and low tax levels. The banking system is stable and privatization of publicly owned enterprises is ongoing. Today, Kosovo is home to over 3500 foreign companies or companies with mixed ownership structures, which have already invested over 1.5 billion Euro,’ said Kusari-Lila.

The Deputy Prime Minister further presented in detail the large scale reform which is conducted under the auspices of the Government of Kosovo, aimed at eliminating barriers and enticing the development of the private sector, while underlining that the reforms undertaken make Kosovo a very suitable place for foreign investments.

On the other hand, the Minister of Economic Development, Besim Beqaj, presented the economic development processes undertaken to date, the powerful ongoing reforms and the perspective of future cooperation and economic development between Kosovo and its partners.

In his speech, Beqaj said to the attendees that the main generator of economic growth in Kosovo is the private business sector, and that reforms undertaken by the Government of Kosovo are all aimed at empowering the private sector.

He made it clear that such structural reform and introduction of private capital into key sector of Kosovo’s economy will help Kosovo in ensuring a sustainable economic growth. ‘We remain committed to overcoming all barriers for business introduction and to provide adequate opportunities for making private businesses the main bearer of the country’s economic development,’ Beqaj said.

He presented key sectors of Kosovo’s economy, including the telecommunications, energy and mining, and other public services, emphasizing that all said sectors comprise great investment opportunities for private capital investments from French and other long-term European partners.

Beqaj also said that entry in Kosovo’s market ensures entry of larger French and European companies in the Southeast Europe market.

The Director of UBIFRANCE for Southeast Europe, Michel Bauza, said in his speech that Kosovo is a country that offers great opportunities for French businesses and that UBIFRANCE and other French financial assurance companies, such as OSEO and COFAS, would support them in their endeavors.

The conference for the promotion of Kosovo’s investment possibilities is organized in Paris and provides a venue for further discussions among senior officials of the Government of Kosovo, various commercial associations and representatives of numerous French and European businesses, and other parties of interest for investing in Kosovar economy.

Presentations on investment possibilities in Kosovo were also held by the Director of the Kosovo Investment Promotion Agency, Valdrin Lluka, and the Unit for Public-Private Partnerships, Lorik Fejzullahu.

The organization of the Paris Conference on Investments in Kosovo is one of the activities conducted in the framework of the country’s economic diplomacy, under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at enhancing foreign investments in Kosovo.

The organization of similar conferences is envisaged to occur in many countries of the European Union, in USA and elsewhere.