History

The Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia is a non-profit institution established based on the Law on Economic Chambers of Macedonia on March 1, 2005, with its headquarters in Tetovo. Due to various political circumstances at the time, it was initially not granted the status of an Economic Chamber and was instead imposed the name “Economic Circle of North-West Macedonia.”

Facing obstacles from its very beginnings, the institution was founded by 122 companies, which at the time also became its first members. The founding assembly of the chamber was held at the premises of the South-East European University, from where its functionalization and structuring also began. During this assembly, the delegates, governing bodies, and the first President were selected.

The first temporary headquarter of the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia was in Tetovo, and after two years of operation, it was moved to Skopje as a signal of the institution’s nationwide expansion, which also led to a doubling of its membership.

The main challenges of the leadership and the initial structures of the Chamber were its establishment and gaining appropriate recognition and treatment from institutions and the government, especially in regard to the acknowledgment of its request to be officially recognized as an Economic Chamber under the Law on Economic Chambers in North Macedonia.

Despite many obstructions from the institutions and government of that time, the Chamber’s leadership, then known as the Economic Circle of North-West Macedonia, managed to overcome these challenges. In 2007, the Economic Circle was renamed the Economic Chamber of North-West Macedonia.

From that point on, the Albanian business community but not only had an institution through which they could address their concerns.

The main objective was for the work and activities of the Chamber to be dedicated to providing professional assistance to its members in the development of activities and specific tasks in production, trade, and services, the adoption of new technologies and management methods, and encouraging and coordinating research and the development of technical-technological achievements.

Over the years of its existence, ECNWM has left a strong mark in terms of contributing to the creation of macroeconomic policies, implementing various entrepreneurship projects, lobbying in domestic and international institutions, and building partnerships with other economic chambers, associations, and economic organizations thus expanding its influence and becoming one of the key Chambers in the country.

Furthermore, since 2011, ECNWM has been organizing the largest economic event in the region, the “Top 100™” event, which promotes and stimulates competitiveness while also rewarding those companies that achieved success in the previous year. This project has become a tradition and a signature initiative of ECNWM, and it continues to be held annually.