For the first time, on Monday, Prishtina played host to the Economic Forum of Vienna, which has provided hope for the advancement of renewable energy over the past decade.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti, in his introductory speech, said the Kosovo government has made investments in the economy and according to him, “various international organizations have confirmed Kosovo’s progress”.

Kurti foresees the development of renewable energy in the next 10 years by more than 1,300 MWh generated from renewable sources.

Connecting it with the government’s strategy, Kurti said that the last agreement with the International Monetary Fund, IMF, will be used for renewable energy.

The latest IMF agreement offers Kosovo an initial 80 million euros for the construction of renewable energy and solar capacitors with the possibility of another 80 million.

“We are also creating our country’s first sovereign wealth funds,” Kurti said.

Kurti called for more cooperation, so that the slogan of the Vienna Economic Forum, “Go South East”, becomes synonymous with Western nearshoring.

During three sessions, senior representatives of local and international institutions in this Forum will discuss regional cooperation in the field of investments through technological innovation.

Elena Kirtcheva, board member and general secretary of the Forum, said the priority of the forum is the consolidation of the region, which both Europe and the region need.

“This is the main purpose of an economic forum, to have consolidation, because the region needs Europe, but let me say that Europe needs the region as well,” said Kirtcheva.

The president of the Forum, Victor Jackovich, said Kosovo was facing up to the challenges of pressures from many quarters, not just Serbia.

“There are many challenges you face, I would say pressure from many different countries, from Washington, from Brussels, from Belgrade, from everywhere. Perhaps this is the fate of a small country. Because you [Kosovo] have a democracy and because you have the support of your people and a democratically elected government, you are able to face these challenges and overcome them and it is in this environment that the Vienna Economic Forum will continue,” he said.

The Vienna Economic Forum goal has been promoting regional economic cooperation since its foundation in 2004. The program for this year is dedicated to regional cooperation in fragmented environments. 

Since 2015, Vienna Economic Forum has also been listed in the Transparency Register of the European Parliament and the European Commission.