AmCham Macedonia Fall 2017 (Issue 55) | Page 2

Fall 2017 / Issue 55 Fall 2017 / Issue 55 Dear AmCham Macedonia members and friends - Welcome to the fall 2017 edition of AmCham Macedonia magazine. While this is certain- ly one of the busiest periods in the fiscal year as well as in the private lives of our readers, I’m glad you found time to tune into some of the hot topics garnering attention among our members. We decided to focus this issue on the many proposed and actual changes made by the new government that are certain to impact the local business environment. These include a look at changes in taxation, FDI attraction policy, la- bor regulation, customs procedures and more. We’ve also included plenty of analysis of the continuing challenges faced by companies that are working here, large and small. I look forward to welcoming members to our 17th annual General Assembly meeting on Oc- tober 25th in the M6 Educational Centre start- ing at 10:00, which will feature addresses from AmCham President, Slavko Prokojski, US Am- bassador, Jess Baily, and myself. As our key an- nual internal business meeting, we will also be welcoming new member companies as well as 2 new Board members. On our events calendar still to come this year are our traditional Thanksgiving gather- ing as well as our annual holiday party. Even with these primarily social events, we hope to make an impact on the local community by highlighting the contributions of many of our members to CSR initiatives. For the fourth year, we will also raise funds and goods donations to support the Red Cross’ “Think of Us” campaign against hunger. Finally, as many of your already know, I will be “passing the torch” to a new Executive Di- rector later this year. After 7 years running the organization, I am truly proud of what we’ve built and achieved together and look forward to watching the organization continue to flourish in the coming years. While my life path is tak- ing me back to the United States for now, I will always consider Macedonia home and be root- ing for the country’s growth and development. With best wishes for an enjoyable and safe holiday season, Michelle Osmanli Executive Director AmCham Magazine is a quarterly publication of AmCham Macedonia. No reproduction of any materials published in AmCham magazine is permitted without the explicit written permission of AmCham Macedonia. The articles in the magazine express the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of AmCham Macedonia, its members, board of directors or staff. While AmCham Macedonia makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all published information, AmCham Macedonia is not responsible for errors or omissions. The magazine is available on our web site: www.amcham.com.mk EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Michelle Osmanli • PHOTOGRAPHER: Elena Fidanovska • DESIGN: Zoran Inadeski Cover: Elena Fidanovska • ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: [email protected] 2 AmCham Macedonia Magazine AmCham Macedonia Magazine 3