Riinvest Institute

Gëzuar festat e fundvitit nga Instituti Riinvest! Këto 30 vite kanë qenë një udhëtim i jashtëzakonshëm falë jush – partnerëve tanë, miqve dhe bashkëpunëtorëve. Le të jetë ky vit i ri një kapitull i ri i sukseseve dhe gëzimeve për të gjithë! ************* Season's greetings from Riinvest Institute! These 30 years have been an extraordinary journey thanks to you – our partners, friends, and collaborators. May this New Year bring a new chapter of success and joy for everyone!

As part of the Policy Answers project, we are delighted to share that two of our researchers are currently undertaking fellowships at the prestigious Institute of Economics in Zagreb, Croatia. This fellowship program, exclusive to Policy Answers team members and researchers from partner organizations, is designed to enhance skills, foster collaboration, and contribute to impactful research across the Western Balkans region. Here’s what our fellows are working on: 🔹 Benet's Fellowship focuses on advancing the understanding and application of the CEIZ Index methodology, a key tool for measuring economic performance and assessing regional development. 🔹 Halim’s Fellowship centers on gaining insights into the Institute of Economics in Zagreb expertise in managing EU-funded projects, which will strengthen Riinvest’s project administration capacity by transferring knowledge and skills. Their work exemplifies the goals of the Policy Answers: advancing knowledge, building professional capacity, and strengthening cross-border cooperation in the region. We are proud of their contributions and look forward to sharing their findings and experiences with our community. Western Balkans Info Hub Ekonomski institut, Zagreb #PolicyAnswers #RiinvestInstitute #Fellowship #EconomicResearch #RegionalCollaboration #WesternBalkans

In this video, three authors of the report—Prof. Dr. Muhamet Mustafa, Prof. Dr. Alban Hashani, and Prof. Dr. Petrit Gashi—share key perspectives on the most pressing economic challenges and opportunities for Kosovo. 🎯 These insights are drawn from the Annual Economic Forum 2024 Report, providing a roadmap for sustainable economic development. 👉 Watch the video and let us know your thoughts! 📥 You can also access the full report here: https://shorturl.at/pkAbi #FEV2024 #RiinvestInstitute #EconomicDevelopment #InvestmentEfficiency #Kosovo

Economic Literacy in Journalism Workshop This past weekend, we had the pleasure of hosting an engaging and impactful workshop aimed at strengthening economic journalism across the Western Balkans. The workshop brought together journalists from Kosovo, Albania, and North Macedonia. 🗓️ Sessions on economic policymaking, free media, data analysis, and legal protections for journalists, delivered by expert speakers such as Alban Hashani, Goran Rizaov, Gent Beqiri, Visar Vokrri, Arber Hitaj and Flutura Kusari. 💡 Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ The importance of diverse and accurate economic reporting in holding institutions accountable. 2️⃣ Strategies for protecting journalistic work from legal challenges while maintaining ethical standards. 3️⃣ Regional collaboration as a cornerstone for building capacity and fostering excellence in economic journalism. We were greatly impressed to see the enthusiasm and dedication shown by the participants and partners, and we are excited to see how these efforts will translate into impactful stories that inform and empower the public. A heartfelt thank you to our speakers, participants, partners and Economic Fundamentals Initiative who made this event possible! 🙌 EFI Kosovo

I was delighted to speak at Riinvest Institute Annual Economic Forum “Overcoming the trap of insufficient growth and enhancing the efficiency of investments in Kosovo” (Alban Hashani), where I shared EBRD’s view as the leading institutional investor in Kosovo. As of now, we have signed 110 projects with EUR 700 million financing in Kosovo, most of them since we opened an office here in 2012. Around 70% of this financing went to the private sector, mainly SMEs via dedicated credit lines. However, as a young, fast-developing country, Kosovo has large investment needs especially in infrastructure which would improve the country’s competitiveness and enable its integration into European supply chains. Early this year EBRD published an interesting research paper on the Western Balkan convergence towards EU living standards. Standards of living in the six economies of the Western Balkans are well below those in the European Union. The gap is closing gradually, but a full catch-up could, on current trends, take 70 years or more. The fundamental problem is low productivity in the economy, a result of many years of under-investment, weak institutions, unfavourable demographics and a difficult business environment. Research paper suggests a three-pronged approach to reforms: better governance, enhanced openness and going green, which are relevant for Kosovo as outlined below. Governance. Standards of public governance need to be improved, especially through reform of public administration and public-owned enterprises (POEs), simplifying complex regulations, leveraging the digital revolution. I would especially emphasize the importance of better strategic planning for infrastructure projects and strengthening of the institutional capacity for their implementation. Greater openness to trade and investment can be achieved by increasing the role of the private sector in the economy and making POEs more efficient, strengthening regional cooperation. In addition, investments in enabling infrastructure such as roads, railways, energy supply, municipal services etc are crucial for new local and foreign investors to come to Kosovo. Going green and developing more renewable energy capacity is equally important to attract investments and generate growth in the country. In this area, Kosovo can do much more by streamlining well-designed auctions and developing regulatory framework for c-PPAs for private sector renewable energy projects. Also, further progress with market liberalisation is important to create market conditions tor new independent power producers. I am confident that Kosovo has a European future. It can, and should, accelerate its development by prioritising economic reforms, opening opportunities for the private sector and moving faster with investments in infrastructure. EBRD will remain Kosovo’s partner on this path. #Kosovo, #EBRD, #investments, #governance, #openness, #goinggreen

Yesterday, at Riinvest Institute's Annual Economic Forum, where the event was filled with in-depth discussions and concrete ideas aimed at advancing Kosovo's economic development. A big thank you to all the participants and contributors for making this event such a success! Until the next forum, we invite you to read our study report here: https://bit.ly/4eKHSUj

A sneak peek into our latest report! Here we present the Riinvest Institute's Annual Economic Forum Report 2024 Executive Summary and Key Recommendations. We invite you to read the full report at: https://shorturl.at/eSAB3

📢 Hot Off the Press! The Annual Economic Forum Report by Riinvest Institute explores this year’s critical theme: “Overcoming the trap of insufficient growth and enhancing efficiency of investments.” 📊 Here’s what the report brings to the table: ✔️ A thorough examination of Kosovo’s economic growth challenges and pathways for overcoming them. ✔️ Insights into the evolution of the business environment and its barriers. ✔️ A deep dive into investment trends—volume, structure, and efficiency—paired with actionable policy recommendations for sustainable growth. 🎯 This report sets the stage for the Annual Economic Forum 2024 (FEV24), a platform that unites leaders from business, policy makers, and academia to shape Kosovo’s economic trajectory. 📥 Discover the full report here: https://shorturl.at/z6SV8

Instituti Riinvest prezanton raportin “Çfarë miksi i energjisë na duhet?” Sot, Instituti Riinvest prezantoi raportin më të fundit, "Çfarë miksi i energjisë na duhet?", në prani të përfaqësuesve të institucioneve publike të nivelit qendror dhe lokal, komunitetit të biznesit, aktivistë të shoqërisë civile dhe ekspertëve të energjisë, ku u diskutuan çështje kyçe mjedisore për të ardhmen energjetike të Kosovës. Raporti u prezantua nga z. Luan Shllaku, ndërsa pasuan diskutimet me panelin e të ftuarve: z. Trim Ternava, CEO i Sunvolta Energy, z. Bernard Nikaj, anëtar i kryesisë së PDK-së, z. Besim Veselaj nga Departamenti i Energjisë në Ministrinë e Ekonomisë dhe z. Luan Shllaku nga Instituti Riinvest, me moderim nga z. Bujar Pira. Gjatë diskutimit, panelistët shqyrtuan pyetje të rëndësishme si: • A mund të arrijë Kosova aspiratat e saj të integrimit evropian duke përmbushur njëkohësisht qëllimet ambicioze të Agjendës së Gjelbër, sidomos për sa i përket varësisë nga linjiti? • Cili është kompromisi i mundshëm midis rritjes ekonomike, sigurisë energjetike dhe qëndrueshmërisë mjedisore? • Si mund të duket një miks energjetik optimal për Kosovën, duke pasur parasysh kufizimet e linjitit dhe modelet e zhvillimit bazuar në Agjendën e Gjelbër të BE-së? Mbi këto dhe më shumë, ju ftojmë të lexoni raportin në: https://shorturl.at/RTP6I