AmCham Macedonia Winter 2016 (issue 48) | Page 21

ANALYSIS Currently, US headquartered automotive industry companies employ over 3,000 people in Macedonia,... Currently, US headquartered automotive industry companies employ over 3,000 people in Macedonia, while predictions made in local media for future job growth exceed 10,000. The engine behind this impressive trend has undeniably been the almost obsessive attention paid to FDI attraction by the country’s highest government officials combined with timely creation of TIDZs that offer substantial subsidies to big investors. And it is a good sign that some TIDZ investors have substantially expanded their initial investments since originally investing here. While the country’s investment promotion approach has been a divisive political issue in the country – due primarily to accusations that they are unfair to local investors and for their lack of budget transparency – it is undeniable that they have succeeded in putting the country on the global automotive industry map, resulting the creation of good, stable jobs where employees benefit from a world-class work environment, including cutting-edge technology and training. Government Use of ENER Plummets Passed Laws by Laws Passed by Ministry Ministry Oct 1- 1Dec 31 2015 Oct - Dec 31 40 30 20 10 0 Ministry of Finance Ministry of Economy Ministry of Justice Ministry of Labor & Social Policy Not published on ENER From October 1 – December 31, 2015, the Macedonian parliament passed 135 laws, while the National Electronic Register of Regulations (ENER) – the award-winning tool meant to facilitate public comment on all proposed laws – sat virtually unused. According to the Government Mirror Quarterly Report1 covering this period, only 8 proposed laws were published Ministry of Transport & Communications Ministry of Interior Published on ENER for public comment on ENER and the 3 of those laws that were later passed by government, weren’t properly updated on ENER (leaving the public to think they could still comment on a piece of legislation that had already entered parliament). So, not only do State institutions rarely use ENER to communicate with stakeholders, they use it incorrectly when they do. 1 ОГЛЕДАЛО НА ВЛАДА, Следење на отвореноста на процесите на подготовка на закон, Квартален извештај бр. 8 за периодот 1 октомври – 31 декември 2015 г. NEW MEMBER HIGHLIGHT TAV Airports, one of the world’s leading airport operators, that operates Istanbul Atatürk, Ankara Esenboˇga, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Milas Bodrum and Alanya Gazipaşa airports in Turkey. Tbilisi and Batumi airports in Georgia, Monastir and Enfidha-Hammamet airports in Tunisia, Skopje and Ohrid airports in Macedonia, Madinah Airport in Saudi Arabia and Zagreb Airport in Croatia are also operated by TAV Airports. The Holding also provides service through its subsidiaries in other areas of airport operations including duty-free, food and beverage services, ground handling services, IT, security and operation services. Within the same context, TAV Airports also operates duty free, food and beverage and other commercial areas at Riga Airport in Latvia. Together with its subsidiaries, the Company provided services to 780,000 flights, serving more than 102 million passengers in 2014. Winter 2016 Issue 48  21