The President of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia, Branko Azeski and the President of the Board of Directors of “Macedonia 2025”, Vera Stavroff, have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation aiming at solidifying the business communication between the business community in the country and the Macedonian businesspersons abroad.

The goal of the joint activities of the Chamber and “Macedonia 2025” is to improve the performance of the domestic companies, which will eventually lead to acceleration of the growth of the Macedonian economy and development of the Macedonian society.

The Memorandum provides for several cooperation forms, aimed at exchange of information and activities facilitating the business cooperation and an increase of the export-import activities, organization of forums, presentations, and conferences of mutual interest, transfer of knowledge through various forms of education (seminars, trainings), organization and implementation of joint research projects.

The economy of a certain country can achieve better results only if the economy is building bridges and pushing business activities forward, says President Azeski, and he pointed out that by signing the Memorandum with “Macedonian 2025”, a circle is formed of all business institutions that support the companies on local, regional and international level by providing them with resources, experience and knowledge toward raising the competitiveness and innovativeness of the domestic economic entities and that this opens the door to the foreign markets with greater courage.

The activities of the firms within the associations, the Foreign Investors Council within the Economic Chamber of Macedonia confirm this. We are a member of the Association of Balkan Chambers, of EUROCHAMBRES, we are actively involved in the Chamber Investment Forum of the Western Balkans, and we are establishing an official cooperation with “Macedonia 2025” as well.

The President of the Board of Directors of “Macedonia 2025”, Vera Stavroff, expressed her gratitude for the established cooperation with the Economic Chamber of Macedonia, which could be of great significance to the business in respect of the support for innovative processes aimed at promotion of the export activities of the companies.

The Vice-president of the Economic Chamber, Dr. Jelisaveta Georgieva-Jovevska, in her opening address before the attendance comprised of prominent businesspersons and representatives of the scientific and expert community, pointed out that Macedonia 2025 should deem the Chamber a serious partner, and that they should work together to improve the competitiveness, infrastructure and to actively include the business in the reform of the educational process in the country.

Moreover, a debate was held on the subject of “Chamber Investment Forum (CIF) and the economic integration of the Western Balkans” as a part of the joint activities of the Chamber and Macedonia 2025.  CIF is the most significant tool resulting from the Berlin Process and, in the same time, it is one of the last functional European projects. Its headquarters are in Trieste and has a Management Board comprised of the presidents of the Chambers from the WB6. President Azeski pinpoints the importance of CIF in the establishment of joint regional institutions on different levels, which will make the region a single economic area.

 The Secretary General of CIF, Safet Gerxhaliu, reaffirmed the thesis that the economic unification of the Western Balkans countries is the key to success and economic development of the region. Only with strong economy, rule of law, education and digitalization can we strengthen the region and make in more attractive to new foreign investments.

Dr. Tatjana Shterjovka, director at the Economic Chamber of Macedonia and CIF activity coordinator for our country, presented the current project activities of the Chamber Investment Forum that aim to offer concrete service packages to the regional companies.

The regional activities conducted through the Economic Chamber of Macedonia will be supported and realized in cooperation with Macedonia 2025, with focus on three major points:

- Implementation of the processes of digital transformation, which is a form of rounding off the reindustrialization process. The analyses have shown that 10% growth of the digitalization index means 0.63% GDP growth;

- Access to funds for projects of cross border character, which could be operationalized in such manner where Macedonia 2025 and CIF will be able to create investment funds at the disposal of the company consortiums from the region;

Macedonia 2025, in cooperation with CIF, will have the opportunity to create educational leadership programs meant for the Western Balkans region, as a real need to respond to the contemporary management challenges, considering all external and internal risks that pose as barriers to the successful resolution of all unresolved issues, which afflict the Western Balkans business and are related to the same problems and situations.