At the invitation of the President of the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, Ms. Nina Drakić, the President of the Economic Chamber, Mr. Branko Azeski, took part in the Montenegro 2025 Economic Conference, held in Budva on 16 and 17 October.

This prestigious conference, continuously organized since 2010, is a major regional economic forum bringing together prominent representatives of governments, economists, university professors, and business leaders.

The main theme of this year’s edition was “Regional Economies Facing the Challenges of Modern Times,” focusing on an analysis of current economic developments and possible responses to future developmental challenges.

The conference was officially opened by the Prime Minister of Montenegro, Mr. Milojko Spajić. Throughout the panel discussions, participants included representatives from the business community, economic experts, and academics. A novelty in this year’s program was the inclusion of conversations with successful entrepreneurs from Montenegro and the region, dedicated to the role of business in building stable economic systems.

In his address, Chamber President Branko Azeski emphasized the importance of regional cooperation as a key precondition for regional economic integration, while also highlighting the need for active engagement of the private sector in all related processes. He noted that the Macedonian small and open economy must make the most of regional cooperation potentials if it aims to achieve higher rates of economic growth. Analyses indicate that the potential of regional cooperation remains underutilized — although overall trade volume has been steadily increasing, regional trade still does not exceed 16% of Macedonia’s total annual exports over the past two decades. Procedural obstacles and non-tariff barriers in regional trade continue to pose significant challenges for companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), discouraging them from exporting. As a result, the number of exporting SMEs barely reaches around 3,500 companies.

The conference also provided opportunities for business meetings, networking, and exchange of experiences among representatives from regional economies.

Within the framework of the event, a bilateral meeting was held between the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia and the Chamber of Economy of Montenegro, aimed at further strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.