In Tetovo, a new foreign investment worth 20 million euros has been announced, with a promise of 412 new jobs. The company Giavotto Automotive, a maker of automotive components with over 40 years of experience, will build a plant in the TIRZ Tetovo industrial zone, where it will produce parts for world-famous car brands.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski seized the chance for a message in his trademark style: „We don't promise factories - we open factories. We don't promise jobs - we create jobs. We don't talk about development - we deliver it." At full capacity, the company projects an annual export of around 45 million euros - a figure that, if realized, really means something for the Tetovo area.

And here comes the inevitable Balkan skepticism, not out of ill will but out of experience. Announcements of investments, opened factories, and hundreds of jobs are as frequent here as cut ribbons - and the gap between a ceremonial opening and a real plant running at full capacity three years later can be enormous. Will Giavotto really hire 412 people, or will the number melt away as it did with previous „world brands"? The answer isn't in today's press conference, but in the payroll lists two years from now. Promises are free; jobs are measured when the first paycheck is paid.