In Pec on November 26th, the National Union begins.

Lulzim Rafuna, adviser to Finance Minister in the Government of Kosovo, at the same time adviser to Albanian Prime Minister for Customs and Tax, told REL that on this issue, the two governments are in the final stages of harmonising the documentation needed for goods that circulate between Kosovo and Albania.

It shows that this agreement is planned not to require unnecessary documents but to be mutually recognized the documents of both states.

The goal is to harmonise all these procedures, eliminate the double control we have and still have until the introduction of this protocol. In parallel, we are working to advance and harmonise fully with this protocol and comply with the new procedures that will apply to the customs crossing, Morine- Vermica”, Rafuna said.

To facilitate the transport of goods between the two states, the month of July the joint border checkpoint Morine ʹVamica connecting Kosovo with Albania has been inaugurated. With this project, which has been funded by the European Union with more than a million euros, equipment modernisation has become available.

Even connoisseurs of this issue consider that businesses from both states will benefit from implementing the agreement.

Former customs director Naim Huruglica, at the same time legalising on customs issues and international transportation, said that any cut of waiting procedures at the border reduces the cost of doing business.

“Between Kosovo and Albania is a unification of procedures in the sense of time, form, work on a common object, not having to exercise two checks, as a single check with joint teams can be done. This is a more advanced phase than having fully special customs control”, Hurrigica points out.

The “This eases because cutting time and procedures reduces the cost of transportation, lowers the cost of doing business, and automatically makes our power competitive as we are able to get cheaper in the market with those products we have”, he says.

For representatives of the business community, such a decision would facilitate the circulation of the two states' goods and increase the possibility of joint investments.

Agim Sahin, chairman of the Kosovo Business Alliance, says that with this decision, agreements between Kosovo and Albania will be concrete in practice.

The two countries' customs will be accepted, joint control will be unified and many products to come to the Durres or Vlora Port will have the opportunity to customs there and will then be brought directly to Kosovo. This is the innovation that has not existed until now”, Sahin said.

Otherwise, bilateral relations since Kosovo's declaration of independence with the state of Albania have grown year-on-year. This is also evident in the increase in the volume of commercial exchanges between these two countries. According to official data, the value of import of products from Albania in 2008 has been around 60m euros, while last year this figure has increased to 151m euros.

Meanwhile, the value of Kosovo products exported to Albania in 2008 has been over 21m euros, and in 2017 the value of these products has reached 60m euros.

In fact, the various institutions of Albania and Kosovo have established a mutual co-operation. These relations have been concreteised with the signing of over 50 agreements.

It is estimated, however, that these two countries during trade trade exchanges have sometimes faced difficulties and are considered unable to obtain business relations at a satisfactory level.