Priština partially withdrew additional customs duties

Kosovo* partially lifted protective measures on imports of certain types of fruit, vegetables and maize after the pressure of the CEFTA countries and the announced Ministerial meeting held regarding this issue today in Belgrade. The previously imposed measures of additional customs duties by 30 percent were withdrawn.

 

"I welcome this decision, but the partial elimination of measures is absolutely not sufficient and we expect that in the coming days they will be completely abolished. The measures by Priština are in violation of CEFTA rules and they damaged CEFTA as a free trade zone, the countries individually and businessmen, who have been prevented to do export in accordance with free trade rules in recent days," said Minister Šarović after the meeting.

 

Withdrawal of other earlier imposed measures was also requested in the meeting, such as: additional excise duties on building blocks and flour from Serbia, milk and dairy products from BiH, and technical barriers to the export of beer from Montenegro.

 

Minister Šarović emphasizes that today's conclusions of the meeting "give a chance to the principles of free trade, but also to Priština to get out from a kind of self-isolation it put itself into by introducing these unnecessary and controversial measures".

 

The participants of the meeting in Belgrade apart form the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, Mirko Šarović, were the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia, Rasim Ljajić, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Macedonia, Ljupče Nikolovski, and the Head of the Directorate for Multilateral and Regional Economic Cooperation of the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro, Goran Šćepanović.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99 and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.