International Affairs
On April 24th, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce had the pleasure to welcome at its premises Her Excellency Rejhan Vuniqi, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. The Minister was accompanied by a high-ranking delegation of government officials and the Ambassador of Luxembourg to Kosovo, H.E. Paul Schmit.
Robert Dennewald, Vice President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the Minister and his delegation by highlighting the longstanding partnership between Luxembourg and the Republic of Kosovo. In October 2016, the two countries signed a second multiannual cooperation agreement setting the scene for Luxembourg Development Cooperation activities up to 2020. Luxembourg’s efforts focus on vocational education and training, technical assistance offered by ATTF/House of Training, the strengthening of the Civil Society and the health sector. Both countries currently intend to strengthen their bilateral relations and open new tracks of cooperation. The signing of an investment protection treaty and of a non-double tax treaty end of last year has been a first step.
On the Kosovar side, Minister Vuniqi expressed the willingness to diversify the economy and to enhance innovations. Kosovo has continued to improve its business regulatory environment, tax payments have been eased by introducing an online system for filing and paying VAT and social security contributions. There are a number of sectors that indeed both Luxembourg and Kosovo could pursue: ICT, energy, a new power plant is being planned, waste and water treatments, construction and mining. Kosovo is rich in natural resources and has substantial reserves of lead, zinc, lignite and coal.
Other cooperation opportunities exist, Kosovo has a very young population keen on creating startups and there is also a big need in the field of cybersecurity. Hence, in the next months, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce will explore further cooperation possibilities in the region.