Kosovo prime minister, expert welcome changes in privatization regulation

Excerpt from report by Arbana Xharra entitled "Ruecker creates conditions to finish privatization in one year" published by the Kosovo Albanian newspaper Koha Ditore on 23 April

Prishtina [Pristina], 22 April: "I am committed to privatizing 90 per cent of the assets of socially owned enterprises within one year," UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] Pillar IV chief Joachim Ruecker repeated on Friday [22 April], because it was clear that the changes in the AKM [Kosovo Trust Agency, KTA] Regulation have overcome the barrier called the UN Legal Office.

With these changes, the AKM will have no dilemmas about the sale of socially owned enterprises. From now on, it will not have to determine their ownership before selling them.

On Friday, UNMIK chief Soeren Jessen-Petersen announced changes in the AKM Regulation through which there will be no dilemmas on the privatization process in Kosova [Kosovo]. [Passage omitted]

At the ceremony where these changes were announced, Kosova Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi said that with his participation he showed the Kosova government's strong conviction that these changes will enable advancement of the privatization process.

"The possibility of opening new workplaces, the creation of an adequate legal infrastructure, and the creation of a reliable cadre for capital investments are the government's second priority," the prime minister said, without specifying the first priority of the Kosova government. [Passage omitted]

Local experts said that such changes should have been made a long time ago in order for success in the privatization process to be greater.

Muhamet Mustafa, director of the Riinvest Institute for Developmental Research, said that they proposed this approach much earlier during the privatization of enterprises.

"We proposed consideration of enterprises' status from 1989 much earlier," Mustafa said. He added that this change was welcome, and it enables the privatization process to continue with greater dynamism and without hindrances. [Passage omitted]

Source: Koha Ditore, Pristina, in Albanian 23 Apr 05 pp 1, 5