The Government is offering benefits for the construction of nursing homes and private kindergartens. The initial price for selling state-owned construction land to build these facilities is one euro for square meter. Utility taxes for the construction of homes for the elderly and kindergartens are reduced by 95%. Special benefits as well as employment advantages are being offered through the Macedonian Bank for Development Promotion.

In cooperation with the municipalities, there is serious progress with respect to the facilities set to be reconstructed or adapted in a bid to be used for opening a business in this sphere. Private businessmen have already demonstrated huge interest to launch related activities, Government spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgiev told Friday's news conference.

"Utility taxes for the construction of nursing homes and kindergartens are cut down by 95%. Special benefits are offered by the Macedonian Bank for Development Promotion through affordable loans with a subsidized interest rate of 5.5% which can be used by every private entrepreneur in the field. Moreover, certain advantages can be used when hiring staff through the Employment Agency," said Gjorgiev.

Serious progress has been made in locating sites and facilities in terms of the huge interest shown by private businessmen to invest in this sphere, according to him.

"In cooperation with the municipalities, 35 locations have been already set aside that are favorable for the construction of private nursing homes and 55 facilities that could be adapted or reconstructed," noted the Government spokesman.

Moreover, 23 locations have been provided where private kindergartens can be built and 14 facilities which could be adapted with a number of construction interventions, Gjorgiev added.

"Based on the contacts made by the Labor Ministry and the Government, interest to invest in private nursing homes has been shown by 35 local and foreign investors, whereas 28 entrepreneurs in Macedonia and abroad have expressed interest to build private kindergartens," he stated.

All of these data can be found online on the website of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, the spokesman concluded.