Kosovo Lifts Trade Barriers after Tariffs Anger Neighbours

The Kosovo government announced on Tuesday that Pristina has lifted temporary trade barriers introduced on July 18 to protect its domestic produce.

The measures involved customs tariffs of 30 per cent on the imports of 21 types of fruits and vegetables from Central European Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA countries, which include Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro and Serbia.

The change will be effective from Wednesday, as soon as Kosovo informs its customs offices about the new regulation.

Macedonian Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, whose country was one of the most hit by the Kosovo tariffs, immediately welcomed the decision.

At a press conference in Skopje, he said that this was "yet another confirmation of the good relations" between Skopje and Pristina.

Last Tuesday, Kosovo partly lifted the trade barriers that it imposed on July 18.

But the tariffs for seven key products including tomatoes, peppers, apples, grapes, pears, plums and raspberries remained, mostly hurting Macedonian exporters as these products comprised the bulk of their exports.

At a meeting last Wednesday in Belgrade, Agriculture ministers from Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia and a representative of Montenegro greeted the partial lifting of the tariffs but urged Pristina to lift them for all agricultural products.

Macedonia and other countries say they are yet to count the cost of the temporary tariff imposition and consider possible assistance for their own industries.

CEFTA was formed in 1992, but most of its former members in Eastern Europe have since left, having joined the European Union.

Current members are Albania, Bosnia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and the UN mission UNMIK, representing Kosovo.

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