Continuing successful practice of organizing debates important for the business community in order to enable the discussion about the issues important for economic development, in the presence of numerous businessmen, a panel discussion on the topic “Challenges of Regional Economic Cooperation” was held in the Economic Chamber of Macedonia on December 13th, 2018. The President of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia, Mr. Branko Azeski, and the President of the Serbian Association of Economists, Mr. Aleksandar Vlahović, participated in the discussion.

The panel included the discussion about the challenges of regional economic cooperation as a necessary precondition for the future of the Western Balkans as a whole and for each of its countries individually, about Kopaonik Business Forum as it became one of the most significant events for the business community and the privatization process in these countries.

The attending businessmen started a debate on several issues, including the issues of influence of the privatization model implemented in these countries on current economic trends, influence of debt on overall macroeconomic trends and recommendations for achieving a higher standard and economic growth rate.

Talking about recommendations Vlahović emphasized that it was necessary to strengthen the regional economic cooperation, bearing in mind that the countries in the region were small and not competitive enough, to attract foreign direct investments, as well as to encourage domestic investments, take steps to ensure structural reforms, build strong institutions that would meet market demands and create conditions for the growth and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.