PAST EVENTS
Best practices sharing meeting with the
US Embassy HRO
On September 26th, members of AmCham Macedonia’s
Workforce Development committee organized a best prac-
tices sharing session with Viviana Guerrero,
Human Resources Officer at the U.S. Embassy
in Macedonia. Ms. Guerrero offered insights
on the formal performance management,
recruitment and job evaluation processes followed by the U.S. State Department in each of
its embassies. Participants discussed the applicability of some of the policies to their own
organizations and shared some the challenges
their organizations faced implementing similar programs. The group also compared notes
on the application of current Labor Law in the
area of job categorization as well as interacting with union organizations in the country.
Werner Hengst interview
continued from page 9
EM: This year the Government postponed liberalization of the electricity market while EVN Macedonia will be in charge of liberalizing the market
for small businesses in 2014 and households in
2015. Your thoughts? Why is this needed? How
it will affect companies?
The second phase of the liberalization process is a
matter of timing and, according to media announcements, it is expected to begin in the spring of next
year. It is part of a set of changes that will inevitably
follow and definitely change the market. It is most
important that all subjects are prepared for what
is to come in order to avoid adverse consequences. All responsibilities, market rules and processes
must be clearly defined for all participants. The transition from one system to another is never simple
and painless. Customers must be informed in time
and be prepared for successful implementation. The
most important thing is the aspect of social support.
This process must be prepared in a very careful way
to avoid putting certain categories of customer, particularly households, in the situation of not being
able to cope. Without social support, the risk for all
customers and suppliers will be bigger. EVN Macedonia is also preparing for the changes that will follow. In the future, customers will be able to choose
Emerging Macedonia Fall 2013 Issue 39
who will supply them with electricity and we hope
that we will be the first choice again because we will
continue to provide impeccable service.
EM: EVN Macedonia showed interest in constructing the Cebren and Galiste hydro power plants
in Macedonia. What are your thoughts on Macedonia’s energy independence?
Energy independence is a top priority of each country, both in the economic and geostrategic sense.
Certainly, Macedonia is a country that must pay
great attention to this area because consumption
is increasing and domestic production must keep
up proportionately. From that perspective, the construction of each new electricity production facility –
specifically the construction of the hydropower plant
Cebren and Galiste, which is now waiting for an investor – is a capital investment and important. But
the conditions under which these investments are
made are important, because these are expensive
projects whose results are seen in the long run. The
newest tender is more interesting; EVN is analyzing
the new conditions in line with our strategy and is always looking for additional possibilities. But at this
moment, our main priority is to stabilize our existing business.
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