PRISTINA – Government of Kosovo decided today to raise tariffs on imported goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from 10% to 100%, local media reported.
The move is following the initial imposition of the 10-percent tariff on 6 November, as well as Kosovo’s unsuccessful bid to join Interpol on Tuesday.
“Serbia is continuing its agressive campaign against Kosovo on the international stage. It is also undermining the normalisation process”, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Enver Hoxhaj tweeted immediately after the decision.
The move has been proposed by Endrit Shala, Minister for Trade and Industry, and supported by Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.
“Kosovo has been blocked for a long time and … CEFTA [the regional free trade agreement] is not functioning between Kosovo and Serbia, so I support the proposal,” said Haradinaj, Balkan Insight reported.
According to Tanjug news agency, the Ministry for Trade and Industry has justified the decision with various “non-tariff barriers” Kosovo’s products face on Serbian market.
The same problem has been identified when it comes to trade relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry reproted.