Kosovo, Albania agreements not implemented

These two states have signed an intergovernmental co-operation protocol, which represents the full institutional framework of relations between these states in all areas, ranging from the economy to education.

In addition to this co-operation protocol, since Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, dozens of agreements have been signed between Tirana and Pristina in separate areas.

However, agreements signed in various fields, particularly in economic terms by business representatives and field connoisseurs are estimated to be failing to implement.

There are some agreements which, in economic terms, aim to determine the main directions in which both Kosovo and Albania will focus joint efforts on facilitating the flow of goods and the overall economic development of the two states.

But the economic and trade barriers have continued, despite signed agreements.

The executive director of the American Economic Ode in Kosovo, Arian Zeka, tells Radio Free Europe that all these agreements remain on paper, while in practice there is no approach of the two countries economically.

The two states have numerous failures, both in terms of attracting foreign direct investments, both in terms of strengthening the rule and law, as well as in creating or functioning the real economies of Albania and Kosovo markets. Co-operation agreements and joint meetings between governments seem to cover all failures governments in their two respective states have”, Zeka points out.

He adds that if the agreements made at the last meeting of two governments -- Kosovo and Albania -- are analysed, part of these agreements are repeated by preliminary meetings.

The “is the second or third time agreement is made on mutual recognition of various documents, as well as the agreement on creating a joint customs checkpoint is a recurring agreement. The reason why there is no implementation of these agreements lies at technical levels when these agreements should be operated by technical levels, which does not occur between the two states”, Zeka says.

The location of the road tax on the “highway of the Nation”, by business representatives, is considered a barrier for Kosovo businesses. In September of this year, Albanian authorities decided that the “Roadway of the Nation” in the Albanian section, which is 114km long, should be paid.

Cars, depending on weight, pay between 5 euros and 22.5 euros per direction.
On the other hand, economics expert Naim Gashi tells Radio Free Europe that practices so far have shown that agreements between Kosovo and Albania have had more public character than concrete actions.

Producers from Kosovo, Gashi adds, have more easily exported their products to Switzerland than to Albania. According to him, the barriers Albania has imposed on Kosovo products have been almost impassable.

“As far as agreements are concerned, we have not seen concrete economic approach actions. Economic environment in Albania is not favourable for investors from Kosovo. There have been dozens of attempts by Kosovo businesses to infiltrate the Albanian market, but unfortunately they are symbolic. Mostly there are some businesses in the field of information technology which originally had an extension on Albania's market, but they have either reduced their activity or withdrawn”, Gashi points out.

Trade weights, Gashi adds, are constantly coming from Albania. According to Gashi, the government of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama is a government with big patriotic statements, but in practical terms nothing is done for the life of economic co-operation with Kosovo.

“We are witnesses when Albania has blocked the sale of Kosovo potatoes and agricultural products. The origin certificates of goods in particular those of the quality received in Kosovo so far have had problems getting recognized by Albanian authorities and Albanian authorities, and it has required a doubling cost of Kosovo products to infiltrate the Albanian market. I think that instead of patriotic statements, it should be based on concrete actions of co-operation in the area of economics”, Gashi says.

Otherwise, to gain easier economic co-operation between Kosovo and Albania, billions of euros in road infrastructure had been invested.

But trade exchanges between these two countries continue to decline. Official data shows that the value of import of products imported from Albania annually totals about 100m euros, while the value of Kosovo products exported to Albania is about 15m euros.