Kosovo’s deputy Prime Minister asked for the opening of a customs point in Durres Port which would facilitate customs clearance for Kosovo imports, a procedure currently carried out in the Morin border crossing point
TIRANA, June 23 – Albanian authorities have agreed to remove reference prices for Kosovo products, a trade barrier which has prevented Kosovo agricultural exporters from entering the Albanian market during this year. The deal was in principle reached during several meetings between Kosovo’s deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Industry, Mimoza Kusari-Lila and senior Albanian officials during a two-day visit in Tirana last week. During a meeting with Finance Minister Ridvan Bode, the Kosovo deputy Prime Minister asked for the opening of the customs point in Durres Port which would facilitate customs clearance for Kosovo imports, a procedure currently carried out in the Morin border crossing point. The Durres Port Authority has also recently opened its first representative office in Kosovo’s capital, Prishtina, in an effort to increase trade exchanges with the neighboring country. This follows the construction of the new highway tunnel which cuts travel time between the two countries to 2.5 hours. The issue of customs barriers for Kosovo agricultural products entering Albania emerged during recent months, as Kosovo potato and milk producers found it impossible to enter the Albanian market because of high reference prices applied by Albanian customs authorities. Potato growers in Kosovo say they have lost 30 to 40 percent of the market in Albania because of the reference prices at 28 Eurocent/kg and the 20 percent VAT at a time when 1 kg of potato in Kosovo costs 12 to 15 cents. Earlier this month, Albania’s Kofidustria business association urged Albanian and Kosovo authorities to take immediate measures in eliminating trade barriers between the two countries– warning that delays in checkpoints and high customs duties continue to hamper trade. Data show Albanian imports from Kosovo remain at low levels, accounting for only 0.9 percent of total imports. Meanwhile, Albanian exports to Kosovo have grown considerably to reach 6.1 percent of total exports– making Kosovo the second most important destination for Albanian products after Italy. The construction of the Durres-Kukes highway linking Albania to Kosovo in the shortest possible way has also influenced the increasing trade exchanges between the two countries. Trade exchanges between Albania and Kosovo in 2010 reached 93.8 million Euros, accounting for 2.1 percent of Albania’s total trade exchanges, according to the Ministry of Economy.
