MEC - Economic Chamber of Macedonia

http://www.mchamber.org.mk/

The chamber organized in the Republic of Macedonia has entered its eighth decade of existence. Its management activity has been adjusted to the requirements of the economy imposed by the social-economic development of the state.

The Chamber is a national economic association in the Republic of Macedonia which realizes the common interests of its members within the framework of the functions of organs, bodies and forms of organization and operation. The members of the Chamber realize their individual interests through branch and regional organizations. This arrangement provides for full independence in building a strategy on all issues of interest for the economy in a particular branch or a region. At the same time, the Statute of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia provides for the obligation that all issues of common interest for the economy as a whole are coordinated within the organs and bodies of the Chamber in order to secure equal influence over the entire economy.

Organization and activities;

. The establishing of market economy principles in the operation of the economy of Republic of Macedonia opens new prospects for the recognition of the economic laws related to the market and in the development of enterpreneurship in the working of economic entities.
. The Economic Chamber of Macedonia is an independent, business and professional organization of the enterprises and other entities that perform economic activities, in the territory of Republic of Macedonia.

Membership in the Chamber is obligatory for all entities in the territory of the Republic that perform economic activities in market economy conditions.

Members of the Chamber can also be research organizations, professional and expert associations that perform non-productive economic activities (social affairs) and other legal persons that with their activity contribute in the promotion of economic activities.

. The functions/activities of the Chamber which are connected with the mutual economic interests of the members are as follows:

- representing the interests of the Chamber's members before government bodies, especially in the preparing of economic legislation, the measures and methods of the economic system and economic policy, the establishing of macro-economic and development policy, representing the interests and rights of employers in the field of social partnerships etc.;
- preparing suggestions for new amendments to existing laws and measures of the economic policy;
- giving expert assistance to the members of the Chamber in the development of some activities, introducing new technologies and methods in managing enterprises, encouraging and coordinating research and development of technical-technological achievements;
- ensuring the flow of essential data through its own information system, as well as business information about important domestic and world economic data and about development projects, special current information about credit-monetary policy, taxation policy, customs policy and the market; technology and export-import possibilities;
- stimulation and assistance in including the Chamber's members in international economic relations through establishment and development of economic cooperation abroad; through general economic and general tourist information and publicity; through organizing fairs, exhibitions, and other promotional activities, development of marketing and foreign trade networks, business connections and information, etc.;
- organizing and encouraging of relevant forms for permanent functional training and innovative management techniques and encouring creative personnel in the enterprises;
- establishing and nurturing good business practices and business ethics, and determining the rules of behavior of the Chamber's members in their mutual relationships and their relationship towards third parties in the market, etc.;

The Chamber performs some public activities as stipulated by law, keeps files about inquiries of its activities and issues certificates and other documents about the facts it keeps in official files; upon request of its members the Chamber confirms respective facts for them for use within the framework of regular foreign-trade activities (such as certificates of origin of goods; certificates of force major; verification of invoices, price lists, documentation etc.; recommendations for obtaining visas for business trips abroad; certificates for the end user; issuing of certificates for the import of goods to supply the needs of the Macedonian market; distribution of some quotas for export in other countries; issuing of international transport licenses in passenger and freight traffic, etc.).

. The activities of the Chamber are managed by its members directly through their representatives in the bodies, and forms of organization and work, special organizational forms and other forms of organization.

The members of the Chamber in the scope of the Chamber's organization, may be associated and act through specific organizational forms, for more successful and efficient accomplishment of their specific mutual interests in some specific region, field of action, capital property structure etc.

The bodies of the Chamber are: the Assembly, the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board and the President of the Chamber.

Number of personnel, experts and their specialists

Total employment: 86
Structure: Economist, Lawyer, Engineer, Technician

- Activity area

1. At Economic Chamber of Macedonia there is also a Permanent Elected Court (an Arbitration Court) . The Permanent Elected Court is organized and operates on the principles of individuality, volunteerism and independence.
2. Given the needs and interests of its members, the Chamber pays particular attention to issues which should contribute towards the realization of economic reforms, particularly in the area of capital transformation and restructuring of the economy, technical-technological development, promoting the quality of production, professional education and advanced training of personnel, information linking and promotion and presentation of the economic potentials of the Republic of Macedonia abroad.
3. The Chamber is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Association of Balkan Chambers of Commerce and cooperates with, or is a member of, a great number of other regional and international economic associations.
4. The Chamber is the initiator and organizer of numerous specialized exhibitions and promotes the Macedonian economy at fairs, exhibitions, individual presentations of firms, as well as, presentations at international tourist fairs and exchanges abroad.
5. The Economic Chamber of Macedonia pays particular attention to promoting the quality of production, and within that framework, the instituting of a quality system in conformity with the standards of the series ISO 9000, as a fundamental prerequisite for securing the competitiveness of Macedonian products in other markets worldwide.
6. The Macedonian association for numeration of articles EAN-MAK functions as an independent organization within the framework of the Economic Chamber of Macedonia.
7. The Economic Chamber of Macedonia is an organizer or co-organizer of seminars and consultation conferences in the field of standardization, metrology, quality, promotion of qualitative factors of operation, with particular attention being paid to permanent education and advanced training of the managerial and other professional personnel in the economy which is of essential importance for their successful inclusion in, and organization of, the operations of economic entities.
8. The Economic Chamber of Macedonia also incorporates a well-organized high-capacity information system which provides for the exchange of necessary information with foreign basic services, data on complete economies, on individual firms, on supply and demand and other matters of interest for the economy of the Republic of Macedonia.

- Publication list

The Economic Chamber of Macedonia carries out its publishing and journalistic activity through the enterprise Business-Medium, founded by the Chamber itself, which publishes the periodical Economic Newsmagazine and various other publications intended for the presentation of the Macedonian economy in the country and abroad:

- Commercial Directory of Macedonia
- The Macedonian Economy
- Probing into the Beauty
- 75 Chamber Organizations in Macedonia
- Potentials and Export Possibilities
- Macedonia - Your Business Partner - Multimedia CD-ROM
- Wine Map
-Tobacco Map