Albanian 
Prishtina, November 7, 2020 – The American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo expresses its concern regarding the measures taken by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo with yesterday’s decision to ban business activities without prior consultation with organizations that represent the interests of the private sector.
Recognizing the need to protect public health by taking appropriate measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Chamber of Commerce urges that at the same time, the harmful effects that the restriction of business activities creates to private sector enterprises and their survival be taken into consideration as well.
Furthermore, yesterday’s decision leaves room for bilateral interpretation due to the explicit undefinition of the terms included in the decision, which is resulting in the punishment of private enterprises, as is the case with the term “small markets” which does not clarify the elements that determine the size of a retail enterprise. Such formulations lead to an unfair punishment of private enterprises, which despite the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have done their best to continue their activity and preserve jobs, while at the same time being faced with an unequal treatment of different enterprises within the same sectors.
Sharing concerns with representatives of certain business sectors, the American Chamber of Commerce calls out to the Government to enable communication through existing dialogue mechanisms or other forms, and to take into account the concerns and recommendations of the private sector, as well as follow its decisions with supportive, specific measures regarding the restriction of business activities.