Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski led a team for investment promotion to Paris, where a business forum was held on Friday to present the Macedonian business climate before French companies. Organized by the Macedonia 2025 organization, the forum featured three panels, that also included Foreign Affairs Minister Nikola Poposki, Minister Goran Mickovski and other officials.

Prime Minister Gruevski told the business leaders that Macedonia offers excellent conditions for business and has great potential for foreign owned companies. "The World Bank ranked Macedonia 94th in the ease of doing business in 2006, and now we are ranked  30th. In order to overcome our handicap of being a small country with a small economy, we have free trade agreements with all countries in Europe, both in and out of the European Union, except for Russia. These agreements allow for free exports from Macedonia", Gruevski said.

The Prime Minister also presented programs to cut red tape that was imposing unnecessary bureaucratic burdens on companies, and the on-going education reforms that help prepare a better qualified work force.

"We offer lowest taxes in Europe and lowest costs for opening a business, as well as in logistics, energy and in competitiveness of the work force. Macedonia offers series of opportunities to invest in technological industrial development zones, where investors are freed from paying income tax in the first 10 years and also pay no value added tax and customs for their imports", Gruevski said.

During the forum, the Prime Minister had a number of individual meetings with business owners who expressed interest to invest in Macedonia, or expand trade. Robert Arsov, chairman of the Macedonia 2025 executive board said that this is the first such event this association has organized in Europe, and is therefore important for them. "Our goal is to mobilize the Macedonian diaspora, have it better acquainted with the country, the conditions for doing business and its potential", Arsov said.

Steve Sharpe, President and CEO of Euromax Resources which is working on major mining developments in Macedonia, also spoke at the meeting in Paris. "Our experience in Macedonia is excellent. The Government showed full understanding in all issues we discussed. Many European countries could learn from the way they interact with business and bring in foreign investment. We have constant dialogue with ministers that are available 24 hours a day", Sharpe said.

Charles Paradis, chairman of the Medef International business association, said that Macedonia offers a business friendly atmosphere. "I think the climate keeps improving and this is a chance French companies should take advantage of", Paradis said at the business forum in Paris.