Press Conference of Deputy Prime Minister Niko Peleshi:

I would like to share with you two important Decisions made today by the Council of Ministers. These decisions are particularly important and therefore must be communicated to the public.

The first decision follows the measures and reforms undertaken during our first year of government, to stimulate economic growth, especially the growth of employment in the country.

It is about a further deepening of our engagement to support toll manufacturing, through financial empowerment of the government’s initiative in the package Support to Toll Manufacturing by returning to this industry the profit tax of 5% in the form of a fund.

So, in other words, today’s decision establishes the Fund for the Toll Manufacturing Industry, a fund which will take all the excess of the profit tax that businesses of toll manufacturing will pay over 10%. Therefore, the difference of 5% from the 10 to 15% will contribute to the creation of this fund.

For the year under discussion, to reverse the decision in absolute understandable quota, for 2014, this surplus goes to 2.5 million dollars, at least until today that we are speaking.

For next year, the difference of 5% will be more than that; it will go to 3.4 or 5, depending on the profit tax amount paid by business of this industry; the entire amount will go to the fund.

So it seems that this is a flexible fund, moreover because of the flexibility acquired by its level of 5% of the difference of the profit tax amount; we will also invite other donors domestic or foreign, who have sensitivity to employment schemes, which support economic development and especially this industry. It will be an open platform, not only for the state budget, but also to all donors and other partners to support this important program that is employment.

The second decision that I want to share with you is a decision that has to do with a long lingering issue. This decision opens the road to the construction of the Namazgja mosque and to the construction of the Museum of Cohabitation.

Both these works have a special significance. The Museum of Cohabitation is an important work because it creates the institution of a national value, with which we take pride, and a value, which for the sake of truth is admired also by developed countries. And on the other hand, since it is about the same territory, for the same position, this solution, the building permit issued on 3 October this year, and today’s decision to build the museum open the way for the resumption of works to build the Namazgja Mosque.

It is an obligation of our entire society, but the Government has taken all of its responsibilities to pave the way, not just for building a mosque, but for building an important place of worship for the Muslim community, side by side a museum of religious coexistence, one of the values of which we are very proud.

To be more precise, today’s decision has to do with taking responsibility from the government to pay full value, according to the law on expropriation of private property for the surface on which the Museum of Cohabitation will be built.

Of course, before coming to today’s decision of the Council of Ministers, we have followed all the procedures that the law provides for fair assessment and notification within the legal limits also to owners who are affected by the expropriation, but as I said the Government has assumed legal obligation to compensate them 100%.

Thank you!