Sokol Bashota, Mayor of Klina, discusses the municipality’s investment appeal.
“Klina is strategically located and investor-friendly, with a youthful, educated population and many attractions for foreign investors.”
European Times: Can you give us a profile of Klina?
Sokol Bashota: Klina, a key Kosovo crossroads, has a population of around 38,000, with around 13,000 people living abroad. Klina municipality comprises 54 villages. The area is well known for its natural beauty, and many people take advantage of convenient train connections to Peja, Prishtina and Prizren to work in those cities but live here in Klina.
European Times: What are Klina’s most promising sectors?
Sokol Bashota: Agriculture has excellent development potential. Klina has high-quality farmland covering some 800 sq km, 70% of it flat, and since the municipality is crossed by six rivers, any agricultural venture has easy access to irrigation. The village of Klina, for example, has access to three rivers. Klina has five irrigation stations, 400 greenhouses available for off-season production, and seven milk-processing centres collecting around 2,000 litres of milk per day. Mining is also a fast-growing sector thanks to the area’s large deposits of lignite and bauxite, and the local bauxite mine is being prepared for privatisation.
European Times: What about tourism?
Sokol Bashota: The tourism sector also has great prospects thanks to Klina’s natural attractions, including 13 waterfalls on the Mirusha River, and rich cultural heritage. Klina is on the site of an ancient Illyrian settlement dating from around 87 AD, and adventurous hikers can discover many ruins from that time. Klina hosts Folklore Fest, an annual folklore festival which attracts more than 10,000 visitors. We are actively pursuing opportunities to increase international awareness of Klina and to enhance its image within the region and in Europe.
European Times: What are some major recent projects?
Sokol Bashota: We have a new €2 million water-treatment plant to provide clean drinking water, and we have developed modern, efficient road infrastructure in addition to our rail links. Around 80% of the roads leading into and out of Klina are asphalt, and 75% of them were completed over the past four years.
European Times: What are you doing to attract FDI to Klina?
Sokol Bashota: To facilitate foreign direct investment in the community, we have streamlined the process of registering a business to less than a few weeks, and we have lowered taxes and offer free land for development along with free utilities and infrastructure. Klina is strategically located and investor-friendly, with a youthful, educated population and many attractions for foreign investors.
