Over 3.500 companies from Illinois including the famous brands and corporations have the opportunity to acquaint with the investment conditions in Macedonia presented by government team led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at the forum in Chicago. Some of them announced their investment plans as Glenmount Global Solutions company engaged in engineering and projecting which will hire high-qualified workforce.

PM Gruevski addressing the present investors at the forum underlined that the government is strongly focused towards improvement of economy. He said that economic growth is 4.1% in the first six months of 2014 which is largest growth in Europe.

Last year, we were seen as third largest growth in Europe and yesterday the EC published report noting that Macedonia this year will be second largest growth in Europe which is a good indicator. In general, Macedonia conducts sound and stable macroeconomic policy. And in relation to business climate I would like to say that the government is fully committed to creation of good business climate which is our main preoccupation, Gruevski said.

In this direction many reforms and measures were carried out as the Regulatory Guillotine project whereat thousands of bureaucratic procedures were shortened and became cheaper, process which was carried out with Economic Chambers and in cooperation with 300 companies from different sectors.

He also said that government invested in successful and quality electronic real estate registry, electronic payment of taxes was introduced, one-stop-shop system for the customs and many other novelties have been launched which created good conditions for doing business in Macedonia.

CEO of Directorate of Technological Industrial Development Zones Viktor Mizo underlined that Chicago and Illinois are an area where largest number of global fortune 500 companies in the world are located. Representatives of this type of companies attend the forum and showed interest on conditions to expend their businesses in Europe.

He underlined that companies which already invested in Macedonia transferred their experience at the forum as Kemet Electronics companies which presented their experience from start up of their business in Macedonia and their accomplished success. I expect the forum to contribute to sooner visit of the companies to our country where they will concretely acquaint with investment opportunities and ways how to expand their business, Mizo said.

Executive Director of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce Illinois Laura Ortega referred to opportunities for cooperation and use of potentials in direction to development of the economic relations.

Illinois Chamber of Commerce includes 3.500 member companies including brand and large corporations as Caterpillar, John Deere and Boeing as well small and medium-sized enterprise. Our chamber has largest concentration of companies which belong to 500 fortune companies in the world that have headquarters here in Illinois. I inform the members of the chamber on many issues and I can say that I am absolutely impressed about Macedonia and the offered investment opportunities and business environment. I am very impressed and look forward to present the information to companies in the Chamber of Commerce in order enabling concrete cooperation, Ortega said.

The owner of Glenmont Global Solutions David Jancosek presented his views on opening a company in Macedonia underlying that these are initial plans which will be worked out in details after he is to visit the country.

I am satisfied that I have the opportunity to hear indirectly from PM Gruevski how Macedonia reinvests and builds for the benefit of Macedonia, in providing zero taxation of reinvested profits and land allotting to long-term lease for a period of up to 99 years. I am satisfied from opportunities for starting business in Macedonia and that’s we use this forum for cooperation and contacts to invest in Macedonia in the engineering which is needed in the US. Instead to bring engineering here, we want to hire engineers and probably to open business in Macedonia, Jancosek said.