ARLINGTON, VA - (August 25, 2003) On August 20, 2003, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) agreed to provide funding to develop a regulatory framework in Kosovo designed to attract the private sector to the telecommunications industry in that country. The technical assistance (TA) will be provided by a U.S. firm under the auspices of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and is expected to contribute to sector loans by the EBRD to benefit the telecommunications sector in Kosovo. This TA is the first assistance that USTDA has provided to benefit Kosovo.

This assistance builds on the prior telecommunications TA that the EBRD provided to help draft the framework telecommunications law passed by the Kosovo Assembly of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government of Kosovo in May 2003. The key objective of this EBRD-sponsored TA is to provide assistance to Kosovo with respect to endeavors to implement a modern, investor friendly and transparent regulatory environment in Kosovo in the telecommunications sector.

This TA will provide Kosovo with an in-depth assessment of the telecommunications policy options that best promote development of the sector, attract investment, and are consistent with European Union practice and United Nations Security Council Resolutions. Also, the independent regulatory authority will be able to develop an appropriate organizational structure that will best address the demands expected to be placed upon it as the telecommunications sector develops further.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency advances economic development and U.S. commercial interests in developing and middle-income countries. The agency funds various forms of technical assistance, feasibility studies, training, orientation visits and business workshops that support the development of a modern infrastructure and a fair and open trading environment. USTDA's strategic use of foreign assistance funds to support sound investment policy and decision-making in host countries creates an enabling environment for trade, investment and sustainable economic development. In carrying out its mission, USTDA gives emphasis to economic sectors that may benefit from U.S. exports of goods and services.

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