BRUSSELS/BELGRADE – EU High Representative Federica Mogherini released a statement yesterday, following the decision of Kosovo’s Government to raise tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to 100%.
“Today’s decision of the Kosovo Government to increase the tax on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to 100% is a clear violation of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and of the spirit of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Kosovo”, stated Mogherini.
She added that the move further exacerbates the situation following the initial imposition of 10% tax increase last week. “The Kosovo government has to immediately revoke these decisions”, Mogherini concluded.
Chief of EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi echoed Mogherini’s concerns during his visit to the city of Novi Sad, stressing that the imposition of tariffs definitely violates CEFTA Agreement.
According to him, the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is the best place where these kind of problems can be addressed.
European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn expressed his disapproval of the decision on his official Twitter account.
“This act – which also hurts Kosovo consumers and businesses – must be reversed immediately. Kosovo holds the CEFTA chairmanship and thus has special responsibility. I’ll attend CEFTA week in Pristina soon and expect this to be solved by then”, wrote Hahn.