Conference “Free Market Road Show” Held at UBT

22/04/2015

An international conference called “Free Market Road Show” was held today at the UBT facilities in Prishtina, at which international and local panelist presented ideas and their research results related to the entrepreneurship and economic development, including examples from countries and regions and practices from all over the world. 

Addressing the conference, UBT Rector Dr. Edmond Hajrizi said, “The UBT is privileged to organize a conference dealing with education of the young people in business and technology.  We are responsible for solving the problems and to provide education for the young people.  The UBT is honored to be part of different projects.  I consider we have sufficient resources and factors that can help boosting the country’s economy.  We also have support from different partners.”

“We believe that ideas about the free market brought from the Austrian School of Business can be quite good for you to be applied in your country and in your businesses.  We have taken as a model the Austro-Hungarian market, that is, from the old times.  The ideas of the free market will help improve the people’s life,” said Richard Zundritsch, member of the Board of the Hayek Institute and Austrian Economic Center.

Addressing the participants of the conference which included professors, experts from different fields, and students, Günter Ferlinger, the head of the Austrian-Kosovar Association, said, “Europe can improve the free market which will result in boosting of the economy.  Kosovo needs a European education.”

Professor Jose Luis Cordeiro from Venezuela, who is director of the Millennium Project, said it was staying in Kosovo for the second time.  He had first been here to be part of the introduction of the German Mark in the Kosovo’s economy and market. 

“You need to do what you feel, no matter if you fail once.  Even if you fail two or three times, it does not matter.  You need to fail several times in order to become good.  Within the next 20 years, we will be part of many technological changes.  In 2009, when our university was launched, the California governor, whom everyone knows better as Austro-American Arnold Schwarzenegger was there as well.  He came back in 2012, taking many projects from our university, meaning that things that will be real,” Cordeiro said at his address.

He went on to say, “From 2029 through 2045, technology will make unimaginable steps.  The well-known Times magazine has published two projects of ours: ‘How Google can save the people’s life ’ and ‘From 2045 people will be immortal.’  The 3D printers we brought to the market have created extraordinary things.  Among others, we have sent one such a printer to the space station.”

Adri Nurkollari made a comprehensive presentation of the economic development in Kosovo and the region in different periods.  “While the largest part of Europe was facing a huge economic decline, Kosovo had an economic growth, while last year (2014) it marked the biggest increase since the time of the crisis.  That Kosovo is economically sustainable show the investments in the motorway and the ‘Adem Jashari’ Airport, which is one of the most frequented in the region,” Nurkollari said among others.

Henrique Snider, head of the Federation of Small and Midsize Businesses in Switzerland, conveyed a very interesting message.  “Growth and freedom have a price.  They are not free of charge -– if someone thinks he can get free, he is an idiot.  The UCK wanted freedom.  They knew that involved risks, they knew they would be facing perhaps the most dangerous threats – death.  There is no freedom and there is no growth without taking a risk.  If you do not want to take a risk, why don’t you stay in bed?  That is the safest place for everyone.  Google was at risk in the beginning because there were not advertisers and there were no supporters, and now Google is everywhere.  A risk can bring successes,” he said among others.

 

Kate Sheehan from the Association for Post-Doctorial Research in the Free Market Institute, also spoke at the conference.  She elaborated on the topic related to the challenges of the free market and its impact in the economies of the countries.