Today, on 30.11.2020, the Ministry of Regional Development organized the ceremony of signing contracts with 156 beneficiaries of the scheme ERP 2020 – Measure 8. This ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Government of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti, Minister of Regional Developement, Enis Kervan, Depty Minister of Regional Development, Eldis Abazi and Deputy Secretary-General of MRD, Besim Kamberaj .
Minister Kervan highly appreciated the presence of Prime Minister Hoti in this ceremony and the support that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo is giving to businesses in this time of pandemic with the COVID-19 virus. Minister Kervan stressed that, for drafting the criteria and determining the amount of funding for this Scheme, they have cooperated with the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and five (5) regional development agencies, as a form of cooperation and consultation with civil society. Also, Minister Kervan emphasized that businesses have had available the necessary information and instructions regarding the manner of application, in advance and continuously during the process. In order to facilitate the application procedures, businesses have been enabled to apply through the online electronic system SMAED, a system applied by MRD since 2019.
The Ministry of Regional Development, taking into account the Cooperation Agreement it has with the EBRD (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), as well as with the aim of building capacity for businesses that it has supported so far but also those of this scheme, Minister Caravan informed businesses that MRD will organize trainings and other forms of increasing the knowledge of their employees. Participation in these trainings will be open to other businesses that have not had the opportunity to benefit from MRD. Finally, Minister Kervan congratulated the 156 beneficiaries of this scheme and wished them to successfully complete their projects, and then gave the floor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti, initially congratulated Minister Kervan and MRD for implementing in record time this scheme provided by Measure 8 of the Economic Recovery Program 2020. Mr Hoti said: "As a Government of the Republic of Kosovo, we are very aware of the difficult situation that our businesses are facing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have done and are doing all possible actions to support the private sector through financial support in the areas where they need it most. I strongly believe that even through the implementation of this scheme, which is supporting 156 existing (micro and small) businesses, we will be able to support businesses in automating their production and service processes, generating new jobs, as this scheme alone provides about 500 new jobs, and we have managed to support a large number of manufacturing businesses with potential to export to western countries. The Government of the Republic of Kosovo, also through other ministries, is implementing and will implement other schemes, in other fields and sectors, to support all businesses in Kosovo". At the end of his speech, Mr Hoti encouraged all businesses of all profiles in Kosovo to continuously follow the schemes and calls for future application.
After the Prime Minister ended his speech, and in his presence, contracts were signed between the MRD and the beneficiaries divided into groups, due to the undertaking of protective actions against the COVID-19 virus.