Bosnia's Visa Row with Kosovo 'Costing Millions'

The Bosnian and Kosovo authorities made a huge mistake when they decided against mutual visa liberalisation, warned entrepreneurs from both countries during their first joint business forum on Friday in Sarajevo.

During the conference, representatives of 49 companies from Bosnia Herzegovina and Kosovo signed a joint statement calling for the end of visa requirements and more freedom for the circulation for goods and citizens between the two countries.

"Bosnian entrepreneurs currently need to go to Tirana to apply for a visa for Kosovo, and Kosovo citizens need to travel to Belgrade or Skopje," Mirsad Jasarspahic from the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina told BIRN.

"It's not realistic to expect a modern economy to adapt to such dysfunctional bureaucracy," he added.

Bosnia and Herzegovina recognised passports issued by the Pristina authorities in 2012 but continued to ask travellers from Kosovo to obtain entry visas. Kosovo then reacted by introducing visa requirements for Bosnians in 2014.

The visa row between the two governments has hit Bosnian business.

According to the Kosovo Agency of Statistics, in 2013 the total export from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Kosovo amounted to 85.7 million euros. In 2014, it fell to 66.8 million euros, representing a total loss of almost 20 million euros for Bosnian companies.

"At least 100 Bosnian companies have a stable connection with Kosovo, which represents a major market for our producers," Jasarspahic explained.

The relationship between the two countries is further complicated by the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina has never officially recognised Kosovo, mainly because of opposition from Republika Srpska, Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity.