Specific Activities - Improving the Pro - Business Environment
- Strengthening of the administrative capacity of the CPC for enforcement of anti-trust and state aid legislation
Competition Chapter 8 from the EU Acquis will be a very important one in the EU negotiation process. An environment that supports healthy competition is important for both domestic and foreign businesses, and is key to economic growth. Domestic competition will make Macedonia's companies better placed to compete in European and global markets. A sustainable competition policy will also help attract more foreign investments. The SPFRE project supports the Commission for Protection of Competition to build its internal capacity to better handle anti-trust cases and enforce of the state aid legislation more efficiently. The intensive training will run in parallel with the review and approximation of the competition protection legislation to meet the EU criteria. Finally, the project will contribute towards building a sustainable competition environment through raising awareness on the benefits of maintaining free market competition, particularly among the consumers, companies, judiciary, media etc. This will not only improve the general image of the commission, but also empower the non-governmental sector to get actively involved in the process of improving the overall business environment.
Implementing organisation: Commission for Protection of Competition
Ambassador's Speech at the project commencement ceremony [Word 28KB, new window]
- Support to the Invest Macedonia Agency for Foreign Investments of the Republic of Macedonia
The main purpose of this project is to provide technical assistance to the Government's Agency for Foreign Investments by strengthening their organisational and staff capacity in order better attract and retain. Promotion of doing business in Macedonia and attracting FDI remains high on the Government's priority list, putting this Agency’s performance into the limelight and increasing their operational portfolio. The expertise provided by the project is designed to support this portfolio, especially in the process of reviewing of relevant FDI investments, developing a Communications Strategy and know-how transfer on much-important investor aftercare and retention. The Agency will also be assisted on how to establish and maintain database of accurate investors' information, designed to be used both by the staff at the agency and the Macedonian investment promoters abroad.
Implementing organisation: Agency for Foreign Investments of the Republic of Macedonia.
- Strengthening Entrepreneurship, Competitiveness and Innovation
In light of the Lisbon Agenda, the SPFRE entrepreneurship project supports the Government programme to introduce entrepreneurship in the high school and university curricula, training teachers from all high schools in this new subject. This is complemented with training the teachers and university professors on "how to prepare a business plan" and a complementary public awareness campaign. Responding to the EU benchmark, the concept of "life-long-learning" is introduced by the new state agency for educational mobility and the vocational training centre. In the framework of the global entrepreneurship week, the project promotes self-employment and start-up of own businesses. The project also provides assistance to the Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship through capacity building, improvement of communication with the relevant institutions, creation of PR strategy and public image upgrade.
Implementing organisation: Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship
Ambassador's Speech at the APPRM close of project ceremony [Word 25KB, new window]
- Competitive SME's Contributing to the National Economic Growth
The project implemented by the Macedonian Chambers of Commerce supports the SME sector by improving their access to services and skills that enhance their competitiveness in the national and regional market. SME's are the backbone of a healthy local economy, and in Macedonia they account for 60% of the GDP, employing over 78% of the total employees. Chamber networking enables SME’s to play an active role in the policy-formulation process and represents the views of the sector within the business and economy reforms in the country. It also provides plethora of choices for individual companies and nourishes healthy competition for offer of better services.
Implementing organisation: Macedonian Chambers of Commerce
Ambassador's Speech at the MCC close of project ceremony [Word 32KB, new window]
Ambassador Key and the Director of the Competition Protection Agency at the contact signing ceremony