Serbian products are starting to be replaced by Albanian ones, Macedonia

Since setting the customs fee, initially at 10 and then 100 percent of products imported from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, according to estimates in Pristina, the effects are different, or reportedly positive and negative.

The goods market in Kosovo is gradually undergoing changes, because imports from Serbia have fallen markedly, with what is being made possible for products from this country to be replaced by goods from Albania, Macedonia, but also by the increase of local production.

According to official Kosovo Customs data, the import of products from Serbia before the tax is imposed daily has been around 1.2m euros, until this import has now dropped to an estimated 600 thousand euros per day.

“Since the beginning of the implementation of these taxes we've had a major decline in import of products from Serbia. If we speak before the tax is implemented, we have actually had between 120 and 140 million overnight from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, until now this import is nearly zero”, says Adriatic Stavileci, spokesperson for Kosovo Customs.

Stavileci tells Radio Free Europe that the 100 per cent tax has not affected the decline in Kosovo Customs revenues, as there has been increased import of products from Albania and Macedonia.

Substance of imports from other countries that have had increases is Albania and Macedonia. Albania's import has increased by close to 40 per cent more than last year, while imports from Macedonia have increased by 10 per cent”, Stavileci says.