DESPOTOVSKI: CITIZENS EXPECT CONCRETE RESULTS, NOT STRATEGIES AND UNFULFILLED PROMISES, AND WE DELIVER THAT TO THEM

DESPOTOVSKI: CITIZENS EXPECT CONCRETE RESULTS, NOT STRATEGIES AND UNFULFILLED PROMISES, AND WE DELIVER THAT TO THEM

People are tired of programs, promises, words and strategies – they need results and concrete measurable effects for citizens, said Jovan Despotovski, director of TIDZ, in an interview in Sitel news.

“The focus and priorities of my work in the past two years are results for specific people. Just since the beginning of the year, we have 2000 new employees and that is something we should all be happy about. It is high time that this and every subsequent opposition should be taught that they should be happy about joint Macedonian successes,” said Despotovski. He pointed out that only in the past two years, 3,500 new jobs have been opened, and in the last six years, over 10,000 of our fellow citizens have been given the opportunity to work in the companies in the Zones.

“These numbers are a real result that, in order to achieve, it is not enough just to have nicely written documents and promises. We need to deliver it,” said Despotovski. He expects the trend of wage growth from 2021, when wages in the zones exceeded the national average for the first time, to continue, considering that with the new concept, the companies’ investment contracts already include tying part of the subsidies to a certain growth dynamics of salaries.

The analyzes of TIDZ also show that for one euro invested by the state, the companies return three, which is a real positive effect of the investments and the new concept. Despotovski also expects an increase in revenues in the Budget.

“Only in 2021, close to 2 billion denars were poured into the budget in terms of contributions and personal income tax, which exceeds the level of state support paid to companies by 3 times. These are three times more funds for overcoming the consequences of the energy and other challenges we face as an economy,” Despotovski said.

Despotovski expects that by the end of 2024 the set goal of 1 billion euros in investments and a doubling of the number of employees will be achieved.

“In less than two years, we achieved a level of contracts for new investments of over 620 million euros, which is over 2/3 of the volume achieved in the entire past decade. We are in an advanced stage of negotiations for two more large investments that will exceed one billion. Also, these investments alone, within which more than 70% are of companies investing for the first time in S.Macedonia, create additional close to 5,000 new jobs. With these numbers, this goal is realistically achievable,” says Despotovski.

Despotovski announced that a large Macedonian company will soon invest in the Zones, which, according to him, will encourage the opening of the investment potential of domestic companies. He also added that the practice of dividing investments into “ours” and “yours” must be stopped.

“These results and investments are not mine, but belong to the Government and all economic departments, but ultimately belong to the citizens. Because they realize with money from the citizens and therefore it is important to me that the effects of them are felt by the citizens. I have never counted, nor will we count the political, ethnic or religious “blood grains” of over 2,000 of our fellow citizens who got their own, new workplace in 2022. That is the politics of a bygone era, which we have left behind,” said Despotovski.