"It is essential to encourage young people to engage in entrepreneurship already during the educational process, especially through internships," was the main conclusion from the discussions held at the launching event of the project “Youth Coalition – Support for Local Business,” which took place on 28th February 2025, in the Municipal Committee in Kumanovo. Representatives from the Municipality of Kumanovo, civil society organisations, the business sector, the Employment Service Agency, the Center for Social Works, students, unemployed individuals, and other relevant stakeholders discussed the importance of youth participation in local business processes and entrepreneurial initiatives.
Nderim Jashari from the Employment Service Agency in Kumanovo spoke about active measures for employment and entrepreneurship, providing valuable advice on starting a business. He also presented the Operational Plan for active programs and measures for employment and labor market services from the previous year. All registered unemployed people and employers have access to the programs, measures, and employment services. The right to participate is determined based on the conditions and criteria defined for each individual program, measure, or service. As a general rule, the aim is to ensure equal representation of men and women, in accordance with the Law on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, and to ensure the participation of young people up to the age of 29 in at least 40% of all programs, measures, and services for employment.
Donka Petrovska, Head of the Unit for Strategic Planning, Policy Making, Monitoring, and Local Economic Development within the Municipality of Kumanovo, followed up on the discussion about social measures by speaking about opportunities to apply for local funds in this area. She particularly emphasized the call for support for providing social protection services on the territory of the Municipality of Kumanovo. She also spoke about local strategies to support young entrepreneurs. A Youth Center has been established in the Municipality of Kumanovo, she noted, stressing that—alongside other relevant stakeholders—it is crucial for the center to contribute to supporting young entrepreneurs. Special attention, she said, should be given to retaining skilled young people who are considering moving abroad. In that regard, the municipality, together with all relevant stakeholders, should make continuous efforts to attract new investments, streamline administrative procedures and fees, and undertake infrastructure improvements in industrial zones, including construction of water supply systems, sewage and stormwater drainage, construction of internal road segments, traffic regulation, and lighting for internal roads in the zones. Implementing such infrastructure projects represents a significant opportunity and great potential that would bring benefits and prosperity to all citizens.
The event was organized within the project “Youth Coalition – Support for Local Business,” implemented by the Institute for Democracy and Development – Pulse of Democracy Kumanovo, in partnership with the Rule of Law Institute Skopje. This project is a sub-grant awarded under “EU Support for the Civil Society Resource Center – Phase 2,” funded by the European Union. The content of the discussions at this event does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union or the Civil Society Resource Centre.
