Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4 / December 2009
1
No. 4 / December 2009
Embassy News
EVD Presents ORIO Programme in Skopje
For an audience of some two hundred Macedonian government officials, the
EVD explained the rules and regulations for grants from the Facility for Infra
structure Development (ORIO) of the Dutch government.
Embassy News
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Visits HortiFair
The Macedonian deputy Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Water Economy (MAFWE), Mr Perica
Ivanoski, visited the HortiFair in Amsterdam. The
visit was initiated by the Embassy and included also
companies in the agriculture sector.
continued on page 3
2
No. 4 / December 2009
3
No. 4 / December 2009
Embassy News
Business Network Event: 15 Years PUM
The periodical Business Network Event (BNE) of
PUM the Embassy was dedicated to the PUM Netherlands
Netherlands Senior Experts Senior Experts programme, celebrating 15 years of
visit address PUM presence in Macedonia.
Bezuidenhoutseweg 12 PUM Netherlands Senior
2594 AV The Hague Experts is a Dutch organiza‑
The Netherlands tion offering free of charge
postal address experts to assist SME’s in
some 80 countries worldwide.
PO Box 93078 Fifteen years ago, PUM exten
2509 AB The Hague ded the activities to Macedo‑
The Netherlands
nia. Ambassador H.E. Simone
contact Filippini praised PUM for its H.E. Fatmir Besimi (left),
efforts in Macedonia. Minister of Economy and
t: +31 70 3490555 Mr Perica Ivanoski, depu
f: +31 70 3490590 more than 100 ty Minister of Agriculture,
e: info@pum.nl
Macedonian SME’s stressed the importance of
w: www.pum.nl
SME’s for the Macedonian
local representatives
For this occasion all companies
economy and expressed
that received PUM support in
Mrs Beti Dejanova their gratitude to PUM.
the past were invited to the
t: +389 2 3125071 Business Network Event that
m: +389 70 641641 was co‑hosted with the Mace from Macedonia, we doubled
e: betidejanova@yahoo.com
donian Minister of Economy, the number of PUM missions
Mr Boris Kareski H.E. Fatmir Besimi. for 2009!” Many of those com‑
t: +389 2 3239255 panies were present at the
f: +389 78 355362 event, like Labeko, Mebel En
e: bkareski@t-home.mk gineering and Uniplast.
pum missions macedonia
five experts per day
2009: 34
2008: 15
PUM has 4,000 experts who
2007: 13 voluntarily assist SME’s with
2006: 13 their knowledge, experience
and business network. These
pum sector division experts execute nearly 2,000
missions per year. This means
that on average every single
day 5 PUM experts line up at
Amsterdam Airport.
Applicants only pay for food,
“Since 1994 PUM experts sup‑ accommodation and local
ported more than 100 Macedo‑ transport. Apply online for
nian SME’s,” said PUM’s coun‑ your own PUM expert at
try coordinator Mr Johan van ww.pum.nl or contact your
w
den Berg. “In order to satisfy Macedonian local representa‑
the strongly increased demand tive for more information.
4
No. 4 / December 2009
Business News
WorldBank: Macedonia third Best Global Reformer
In September, the WorldBank published its annual Doing Business report on
the “regulatory business environment”. Macedonia is the 3rd best reformer and
jumped from position 69 to 32 in the ranking on the ease of doing business.
Doing Business 2010, the
annual WorldBank report on
the impact on laws and regula‑
tions on the business climate,
was published in September.
183 economies were evalu‑
ated on 10 sets of indicators.
Click DB10-Overview.pdf to
download a summary of the
report.
Macedonia best
reformer in Europe
Macedonia implemented re‑
forms in 7 out of 10 regulatory
aspects improving the ease of
Macedonia nearly on OECD average
doing business and therewith
became the third economic re‑ The 32nd place of Macedonia is very close to the average
former worldwide and the best rank of the 27 OECD economies (30). Of the 27 economies
in Europe. in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, only Georgia and the
The success of these reforms Baltic states go ahead of Macedonia.
boosted Macedonia with 37
places to the 32nd rank - only
2 place behind the Nether‑
lands - whereas Macedonia Starting a business for exam‑
found itself on the 69th rank ple got easier due to reduction
just a year ago. of the number of procedures
(from 7 to 4) as well as re‑
Table 1 shows the rank of duction of time (from 9 to 4
Macedonia on the 10 aspects days) and cost involved in reg‑
that Doing Business evaluates iste-ring a new company, as a
in terms of regulations. result of further improvements
table 1: rank Macedonia per aspect to the one‑stop‑shop system
for company registration.
Changes in the Law on Con‑
struction led to a significant
reduction in the time needed
to get a construction permit.
Employing workers got easier
due to a strongly reduced
continued on page 6 www.doingbusiness.org
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No. 4 / December 2009
Business News
EU Trade Benefits Macedonia and Turkey May Now Be Combined
On 7 July 2009, the European Commission published the “Commission notice
concerning the date of application of the protocols on rules of origin providing
for diagonal cumulation of origin” for the western Balkans and Turkey.
“Rules of Origin” form an
essential component of trade
agreements, since they define Products originating in the
when product X can be consi EU have a EUR1 Certifi-
dered originating from coun cate of Origin.
try Y. After all, many pro
Also products from other
ducts incorporate imported
cerfiticate) and enjoy trade countries that enjoy Prefe
raw materials or components,
benefits. rential Origin according to
creating a “mixed origin”.
a trade agreement have a
According to the trade agree‑ diagonal cumulation
EUR1 certificate.
ment between Macedonia and In the Official Journal of the
the EU, products that originate European Union, No. C154 of 7
in Macedonia, get the status July 2009, the European Com‑
“Preferential Origin” (EUR1 mission published a “matrix” continued on page 7
6
No. 4 / December 2009
Statistics
Foreign Trade
In the first eight months of
2009, Germany was the main
trade partner for Macedonia.
The UK and Belgium dropped
out of the top‑20 of trade
partners.
The import value decreased
with 34% to 3.2 billion USD,
whereas exports decreased
even more: 41% to 1.7 billion
USD, leaving a trade deficit of
1.5 billion USD.
Decreases in industrial pro‑
duction are largest in “basic
metals” (-54%), textile in‑
dustry (-31%) and furniture
(-25%).
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No. 4 / December 2009
Interview
Courageous Entrepreneur Started Importing Macedonian Wine
Only one year ago, Marieke Hinke got to taste Macedonian wine for the very first
time. By now, Balkan Wines BV has imported and sold some 4,000 bottles in the
Netherlands. Hinke also offers wine tours to Macedonia and several business
relations are waiting to join next spring.
so I put the bottle away in the just a pallet
cupboard. Some weeks later
we got to open it and I was How did you choose the wine-
astonished! This was indeed ries to work with?
a very good wine! We speak “The most famous and largest
about November 2008.” wineries were expecting me
to purchase entire truckloads
from visitor to importer right from the start. That was
simply not an option for me.
At the exhibition Hinke also
Out of the nine wineries that I
got to know Mr Vasko Kocirov,
visited, two were most appea
a Macedonian in the Nether‑
ling to me: very nice wines
lands and owner of Karata
that would mean something
nova Tours in Voorhout. Hinke
special for the Dutch market
asked Kocirov to organize a
and the possibility to order
series of visits to wineries,
one pallet at a time. Around
which took place in May 2009.
20 May we received the first
Mrs Marieke Hinke (41) is You have nine years of expe two pallets and we now sell 14
owner of LinQup2 Business rience as event manager at wines from Popova Kula and 9
Events BV and recently esta the Dutch telecommunications wines from Dudin.”
blished Balkan Wines BV, provider KPN, after which you
New line of business, unknown
importer of Macedonian wine established your own company
country... You must have had
in Leidschendam. LinQup2 Business Events.
quite some difficulties.
What made you become an
“I was astonished!” “Not at all! Agreements, trans‑
importer of Macedonian wine?
port, customs; the whole pro-
How did you get to know Mace “With the first visit to Mace‑
cess has been very smooth
donian wine? donia it was clear to me that
with each and every order.”
“Having my own company in these wines deserved to be
developing business events, imported in the Netherlands Prokupec, Zhilavka
I was asked by a relative to and that I was willing to do and Temjanika
organize an art exhibition so. We started immediately most successful
in Amsterdam for a friend of and established the company
his. This friend was a painter Balkan Wines BV.” How easy does the market
from Tetovo, Memet Miftari accept wine from Macedonia?
(1981). After the exhibition, “Actually, easier than expec-
H.E. Ms Shpresa Jusufi, at that ted. But, what we did not
time Chef d’Affaires a.i. at the expect is that people who are
Macedonian embassy in The ready to try something diffe-
Hague, gave me a bottle of rent, are not interested in
wine, claiming that “Macedo‑ again Cabernet Sauvignon,
nian wine is very good”. Every‑ Merlot, or Chardonnay.
body would say that of course, Instead of these varieties,
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No. 4 / December 2009
the authentic varieties Proku‑ Gall & Gall is a retail chain “We have also placed adver‑
pec, Zhilavka and Temjanika group of 530 specialized wine tisements in the regional edi‑
amount for 75% of our sales. and liquer stores in the Nether tion of the daily newspaper
On the other hand, Stanushina lands, established in 1884. Algemeen Dagblad and with a
- also very authentic - is a Over 200 stores are owned by friend of mine we combine the
tough one. It is a red wine, but franchisers. Since 1989 Gall & wines with flowers into attrac‑
it should be considered like it Gall is part of the Dutch Roy‑ tive promotional gifts for the
is rosé and that is yet a bridge al Ahold, one of the world’s B2B market.”
too far.” largest retail chain groups.
What was the most interesting
sale up to now?
“When my partner bought a
new car, he had the company
name “Balkan Wines” put on
it. When he went to pick up
How do you organize the
the car from the dealer he got
sales?
a bottle of French wine - like
“The first wine‑tasting event
every customer of this dealer.
took place only two days after
But the dealer had a remark:
receipt of the first two pallets.
“This is the wine we give as a
The very first buyers were
present, but I see you work
friends, but they were quickly
for Balkan Wines. We need to
followed by business relations.
talk”. Now, a buyer of a new
Already in June “our wines”
Renault, Nissan or Fiat at Auto
were served at a business
haag Zeeuw Group receives
event I was organizing for the
a bottle of Prokupec (red) or
Dutch employers association.
Temjanika (white).”
We also succeeded to have
Autohaag Zeeuw Group has
some Gall & Gall franchisers
11 dealers in the region of The
in our region (The Hague) put
Hague.
the wines on their shelves.”
Sector Review
Chances in Renewable Energy
The Energy Sector Note of the Embassy aims to point out opportunities for Dutch
entrepreneurs in renewable energy. A large share of the Macedonian electricity
consumption is currently imported. Moreover, the largest thermal power plant
- operating on lignite - is in need of renovation and partial replacement.
The Embassy recently publi nite from mines that are oper‑ to focus on extension of the
shed the Energy Sector Note, ated by these power plants. electricity generating capac‑
providing information on the ity towards alternative energy
Whereas the domestic elec‑
current energy production sources.
tricity production is insufficient
capacities and the strategies
to satisfy the demand and the hydro power plants
for renewing and extending
current capacities are out of
the sources of energy. Next to a back-up thermal
date - both from a technologi‑
Two thermal power plants power plant, operating on
cal and a environmental point
generate 82% of the domestic crude oil, 5 hydro power plants
of view - Macedonia needs
electicity production out of lig‑ are currently operational, gen‑
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No. 4 / December 2009
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