The investment of the Italian Company Diatec, specialized in digital printing, was announced on 6 April 2014, three weeks prior to the early parliamentary elections.
Diatec’s coming to Macedonia was announced by the Director of DTIDZ, Viktor Mizo, who stated that contracts with the company would be signed after the elections. One year later, in September 2015, Diatek opened the company Makdia in Macedonia.
Makdia makes products for the printing and textile industries, and the majority of its production should be intended for exports, foremost Eastern European markets, Turkey, the Persian Gulf and North Africa.
“The company is located in the technological industrial development zone Bunardzik and it has already employed 35 persons, and we expect this number to increase to 200. The total investment is estimated at approximately 10 million euros”, is stated on the government’s web page.
Central Registry data shows that by the end of 2015 nine persons were employed in Makdia, and not 35 as stated on the government’s web page. At the end of 2016 the number of employees increased to 17.
Makdia has a decision for receiving state aid for generating new jobs over a five year period - 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Although the government’s web page states that the company will employ 200 persons, the decision for providing state aid contains a number that they have forgotten to delete, which says that Makdia should employ a minimum of 101 persons by 31 December 2019 the latest.
The decision of the Commission for Protection of Competition states that Makdia receives monetary state aid on 8 counts:
- 10 year exemption from profit tax;
- 10 years exemption from paying personal income tax for employees’ salaries;
- Exemption from import VAT, under the condition that it is not intended for final consumption;
- Customs exemptions and benefits;
- Exemption from construction land development fee;
- Exemption from the obligation to submit a guarantee as an instrument for insuring customs debts;
- Cash grant for covering the share for constructing facilities on the location;
- Cash grant for generating new jobs (even the number of jobs is marked with XXX).
Makdia’s owner in Macedonia thus far, Diego Mosna, was deleted on 15 February 2016 as the owner.
Mosna is a sports manager and president of Diatek Group SpA and the football club Volley SpA. Since 2014, he is the honorary chairman of football league Serie A.
The new owners of the company are Diateks Spa AD and Mirjana Ranchanov.