Invest in GJILAN MUNICIPALITY OF GJILAN GNJILANE GNJILANE 2 Invest in GJILAN GNJILANE

For Contact Details Visit us at: https://kk.rks-gov.net/gjilan

Layout and Design: www.rrota.com

Photography: Komuna Gjilan / Blerta Zabërgja 3

MONTENEGRO Mitrovicë/Mitrovica

3HMs3Hý

Gjilan/Gnjilane

*MDNRYsĂDNRYLFD /Uroševac

Prizren/ ALBANIA

MACEDONIA 4 Foreword by Mayor

he Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane has prioritizedlarge invest- All taxpayers are treated equally, since without taxes there is no Tments in road infrastructure in urban areas as well as rural guaranteed success for development. Grants from the national areas. We are improving existing green areas and are adding new government and various donors are creating preconditions for the ones constantly. development of the municipality; development will be more rapid The city is increasing the number of schools. The water supply in the forthcoming years. system and sanitation has greatly improved. All these investments Major projects are underway, including the replacement of main have made citizens feel better in the districts where they live. Taxes water supply pipes, sewage, storm water catchment construction, are being used to invest in projects that improve citizens welfare, replacement of asphalt, sidewalks, public lighting throughout the wherever they live. city, and the city’s main entrances, on three sides. The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane, in many areas, is the fi rst munic- To increase tourism, the municipality is planning to build many ipality in regarding the collection of own source revenues, cultural buildings and museums are made with the purpose of in- and the effi ciency of budget spending, Other municipal activities creasing tourism. include: The municipality has created preconditions for investment through  Increases in the use of technologies; public-private partnerships. These are important prerequisites for  Creation of an effi cient business environment; stimulating investment and employment opportunities.  Perfection is attained in planning and environment;  Repatriation and re-integration are taking place in our every- Thank you! day life; Mr. Qemajl Mustafa  The administration provides the most effi cient services. Mayor of Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane Country Data 5

Kosovo  Southeastern Europe, the heart of the Balkans, GMT+1.  Part of Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA)  Geo-strategic position: on the crossroads of the European corridors 7 and 10 – main link between Europe and Asia.  Four neighboring countries: Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.  Territory: 10,887 km2 – surrounded by mountains and di- vided into two sub-regions of a similar size and population, plain land,  Mild-continental climate, average temperatures: in January -5°C, in June 24°C with favorable precipitation. Kosovo has one of the most favorable business conditions in the region. Based on World Bank’s Doing Business Report indicators, the Govern- ment of Kosovo has taken on a thorough reform initiative to improve the business environment. More specifi cally, the government has:  Eliminated the business license  Reduced the required documentation for exports and imports  Eliminated business registration tax for all businesses  Eliminated the requirement for depositing founding capital for limited liability companies  Increased investor protection 6 Municipal Profi le

he municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilaneis located in the south- cational center of the region, especially with the opening and mod- T eastern part of Kosovo in Anamorava region, with an ernization of communication arteries between the boundary with area of 392 km2. Its geographical position connects with Serbia and Macedonia. other centers of Kosovo and the region. The major part of the landscape is comprised of good condi- The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is bordered: in the northeast tions for agriculture and is known as an agro-industrial area. In the with Kamenica (29km), in the south with Viti (20km), in the west southeast, The Karadak Mountains and the plain part of Kosovo has with Lipjan and Pristina (47km), in the northeast with Novobërdë been distinguished as a high fertility fi eld. (19.5km), while in the southeast with Presheva (33km) and Ku- It has a middle continental climate, with hot summers and cold manova (mountains Karadak), east of (40.5km). winters. The average January temperature is -2 degrees, while The nearest airport to Gjilan/Gnjilane is the Pristina International that of July is 21.5 degrees. In autumn, there is on average around Airport and is 60 km away, accessable by the regional road to Pris- 177 mm rain fall, and in summer 129 mm. The city has an altitude tina. The second nearest Airport is Skopje Airport, which is 80 km of 501 to 590m, while the region from 475m, in Budrikë, up to away in Macedonia. 1,000m, on the border with Macedonia (Stançiq).Neighborhoods Waterways that connect the Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane are the of Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane are rich in minerals sources (iron Adriatic Seaport of Durres (320 km) and Shengjin (290 km)that and lucid). provide good services as ports for cargo carriers. The municipality The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is a young municipality with and of Gjilan/Gnjilane is connected through the recently built highway open and friendly administration ready to signifi cantly push forward of Pristina - Tirana - Durrës. projects for economic development and improve services to its citi- According to the recent census conducted by the Statistical Offi ce zens. of Kosovo (April 2011) Gjilan/Gnjilane municipality has 90,015 in- Its strategy for the development of the municipal administration is habitants, excluding citizens abroad. focused on: The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is cultural, economic and edu-  Improving maintenance and waste disposal;  Suitable spots for camping and picnics;  Effi cient public transport;  Multi-lingual tour guides for effi cient communication with tourists;  Very good hospitality of the local population;  Development of rural tourism; 7  Very good cooperation among communities (Albanian,  Vision and strategic plan for promotion of agriculture; Serb, Roma etc.);  Training and information centers; 8 Municipal Administration

ocal Governance in the municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is  Provides direct advice for businesses on opportunities to Lcomprised of two bodies: Municipal Assembly (legislature) - the invest their capital in productive activities; highest institution of local government, which consists of a plenum and  Provides services for business registration and counseling; permanent committees; and the municipality, as an executive body,  Cooperation and coordination of projects related to Public consisting of the Mayor’s offi ce and the Municipal Directors and staff. Private Partnerships; The Mayor is the highest executive of the municipality and is  Preservation of agricultural land; elected directly by popular vote for a four year term which means  Monitors and implement policies and development that local elections are organized every four years according to the programs; Law on Local Elections 2008/03-L072.  Keeps records for land, property and assets of the municipality The current mayor in the Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is Mr.  Organizes fairs to promote products and services to Qemajl Mustafa. businesses;

Economic Development Department Municipal Business Center The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane has established its Department Gjilan/Gnjilane has also established a Municipal Business Center for Economic Development, which: with the aim of decentralizing competencies for the registration of  Develops of local economic strategy in line with regional businesses and handling their affairs. and central levels; The center is responsible for the:  Creates appropriate measures to further promote the  Registration of new businesses (Individual Business, general overall economic development of the municipality; partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company,  Designs plans and promote local and foreign investments; joint stock company, foreign company, social enterprise, public enterprise, agricultural cooperative);  Re-registration of businesses registered as temporary,  Registration of changes in information that have been  Registration of Trade Name which can be used by any type registered with provisional registration certifi cates; of business;  Issue of notes and authentication of copies of 9  Registration of Kosovo businesses working units; documentation from the business register;  Registration of units - representatives of foreign companies  Cooperation with Statistical Offi ce, Tax Administration in Kosovo, Offi ces and Agencies. 10 Natural Resources, Tourism, and Competitive Advantages

he municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is known as an agro- T industrial municipality and is suitable for agriculture, forestry, light industrial processing, construction and services industries. Our aims is to build good preconditions for investments in agriculture and industry in general. We are looking forward to encouraging investment from local and foreign investors.

Most of the agricultural activities are well known: Arboriculture and Planting - Fruits and vegetables under agricultural production, and postindustrial plants will record the most dynamic growth rate. This will happen through the stimulation of the private sector for planting of seedlings and fruit orchards, and building new greenhouses. Livestock is the fastest growing sector. This includes the production of milk and meat sub- products, increased livestock and improved animal breeds. Beekeeping - is closely connected with orchards and the cultivation of fl owers and herbs in the village’s surroundings.

Due to the long term experience of the people in this region, trading is another popular activity and very promising for business in the future. 11 12 Investment Locations

he municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane owns its Municipal T Development Plan that consists of several identifi ed locations which can be referred to for the all vacant land and enables the swift economic development in the future. The current developing companies have different profi les and are running various business activities which are contributing heavily to empower the development of various business activities.

Joint Industrial Zone with the Municipality of Novobërdë/ The municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane shares a joint Industrial Zone with the municipality of Novobërdë/Novo Brdo. This Industrial Zone agreement is in line with inter-municipal cooperation for building various own-will partnerships based on the law on Local Governance. This Industrial zone is located in Llabjan in the crossroad of the regional road between Gjilan/Gnjilane and Pristina and regional road of Pristina – Novobërdë/Novo Brdo - Kamenicë/Kamenica – /Ranillug which leads to the border with Serbia. The total area of this zone is 693.409 m2, and is located in Koznica. Municipal Events 13

ultural life in the Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is very 13 societies of all our ethnic territories with 1,500 members, C rich with traditional activities organized every year with a who, for three days, perform their repertoire for around 2.300 large number of citizens participating in these activities. There is spectators. a large number of religious buildings, including 31 Mosques, nine The Annual Book Fair - Launched 21 years ago by the inter- Orthodox churches, one Catholic church and a Masjid. municipal library “F. Noli”, organizes a “Book Fair”. The event The National Folk Festival - Municipality of Gjilan/Gnjilane is held hosts over 40 editors nationwide, with over 12,000 titles; which to preserve and cultivate the “Anamorava” original folklore, and increasingly serves as a link strong among authors, publishers and aims to promote cultural-historical heritage. This festival attracts readers. 14 Quality of Life

here are a large number of enterprises that provide citizens in Gjilan/Gnjilane and FINCA Kosovo Enterprise Program (KEP), T lodging services, traditional and international food, spaces for which is a micro-credit fi rm for capital. seminars, trainings and other services. The market town of Gjilan/Gnjilane, established in the 1960s, There are seven private commercial banks: Pro-Credit Bank and represents the most important area of the city. Within its Bank Raiffeissen, wich are owned by international shareholders, and scope, the market today offers to citizens: space to sell/buy Private Business Bank, TEB Bank, Commercial Bank and National fruits and vegetables, textile goods, cloth, clothing, jewelry, half- Commercial Bank which are owned by domestic capital, NLB bank. timber products and furniture, milk and dairy products, hand Also, there are two micro-fi nance non-profi t institutions operating crafts, etc.

This publication was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Democratic and Effective Municipalities Initiative Program in Kosovo. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily refl ect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.