KOSOVO - The European Times

KOSOVOEnvironment & Spatial PlanningRequirements Are Drivingalmost 1 million m3 of felling and the annual value ofKosovar wood products touches €50-75 million. Theindustry is thus capable of providing employment for10% of the population.The government is also working in conjunction with theprivate sector and non-governmental bodies through itsplans for a Construction Institute that will deal with certification,testing and inspection of materials. “The testinglaboratories as well as the inspection and certificationbodies will be accredited.The producers willobey the requestsfor conformityassessment and alarge portion ofconstructionproducts will enter the market with the conformity seal(KC- Kosovo Conformity, identical to the EC- EuropeanConformity),” asserts Mahmutaj. It is estimated thatsuch a facility would cost approximately €2.1million toestablish.The steel industry in the country is also being rebuilt.In 2005, Kremikovtsi, Bulgaria’s largest steel mill paid€4.15 million for Kosovo’s Llamkos steel galvanisingplant with plans to invest €15 million to upgrade theplant. Llamkos, which has an annual capacity of 150,000tonnes, had lain dormant since 2001. The Kosovo TrustAgency also lined up the €2.3 million sale of the localsteel manufacturer, Fan, which has a production capacityof 20,000 tonnes annually.The construction industry is therefore well placed.As the government concentrates on both theresidential demands of the country and theinfrastructural requirements running fromenergy to roads, the investment opportunitiesfor the private sector are substantial.Indeed, with a cheap labour force anda burgeoning building materialsindustry, the prospects for futuregrowth in the sector are strong.65