The TexRec Forum was held on 29th June, in Skopje. The forum was organized by the Textile Cluster, EPI CENTAR International, NL Chamber, Dutch Embassy and the three Chambers of commerce: ECM, ECNWM and MASIT. Main topics of discussion and debate were referring on how to handle textile waste to avoid landfilling, customs procedures and possible solutions for its treatment and recycling.
The TexRec Forum comes as a product from the USAID Project – Partnership for better business organization, where through previously organized 18 info sessions in 11 cities in Macedonia, textile waste arose as an identified problem faced by the enterprises, primarily in the textile industry. For this purpose, EPI CENTAR International has engaged foreign experts in the areas of customs operations in the EU and recycling of textile waste, besides them relevant local experts were also invited and present on the forum discussion which made a research of the area and gave the whole picture of the actual situation in Macedonia to the present audience.
Furthermore, the forum was addressed by the VD. Mission Director of USAID in Macedonia – David Reside, the Dutch Ambassador – Wouter Plomp, the Director of EPI CENTAR International – Ljubomir Dimovski and the Minister of finance – Dragan Tevdovski. Moreove, the forum was attended by international and domestic experts, as well as representatives from the Ministry of finance in the area of customs policy and customs administration.
The purpose of the forum was to address the current challenges in the textile industry in Macedonia and to better articulate through proposed solutions to government officials for improved customs procedures, waste treatment and recycling based on international experiences.