90% of the members of the Macedonian-German Economic Association would invest again in Macedonia, shows a poll on the business climate in Macedonia, conducted in the first quarter of 2013 by the Macedonian-German Economic Association and the Skopje office of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce.
The companies have said that economic conditions in Macedonia are satisfactory perceiving the country as a business destination, however they have criticized the effectiveness of the public administration, legal safety and the country's EU integration process, according to a conclusion of the poll which was presented on Wednesday.
50% of the association's members say they plan to increase their investments and 50% say they also expect export to be increased.
21% of the interviewed companies say their condition is better than last year, 48% believe their state will not change and 21% expect it to deteriorate. With respect to the situation in the field, 42% of the firms believe that it will get better, 48% think that it will remain unchanged, while 10% expect worsening.
"It is obvious that optimism prevails amongst companies in evaluating their own business condition and 60% of the interviewed companies expect their business situation to improve in 2014," said Michael Schmidt, director of the German Chamber of Commerce in Macedonia.
Mathias Hanel - president of the Macedonian-German Economic Association - welcomed the government's efforts made to attract foreign investments. "We are pleased with that fact that two large German investors from the automotive industry had decided to invest in Macedonia last year. These companies can serve as a good example for other German investments," he said.
Germany's ambassador Gudrun Steinacker pointed out to local factors for the business climate that needed to be resolved, including indebtedness, the public administration and the gap between local and central authorities.
