The diaspora vote count is continuing, VV achieves the 53rd term, PDK remains at 22, LDK falls to 18
4 hours agoToday takes place one year from taxing Serbian, Bosnian products
Periskopi(7 years ago)
(7 years ago)On 21 November last year, the Kosovo government decided that products imported from Serbia and Bosnia will be taxed 100%. The proposal came from the Minister of Trade and Industry, Andrew Shala, who at the same meeting also asked for the removal of all products in which Kosovo and Metohija “wrote”. This decision [...]
The proposal came from the Minister of Trade and Industry, Andrew Shala, who at the same meeting also asked for the removal of all products in which Kosovo and Metohija “wrote”.
This decision by the Kosovo government came just a day after the country failed to join Interpool because of its fierce Serbian campaign against Kosovo.
Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj backed the initiative, saying it would remain until Belgrade's reflection and recognition of the state of Kosovo by Serbia.
A year later, Kosovo has not been recognised by Serbia, but much has changed after the subsequent events.
The first to react were the Serbs who started with protests and followed by the resignations of the Serbian mayors, who only months later in the extraordinary elections, were re-elected.
World leaders called for the tax to be lifted, or, at best, as the US suggested, suspended.
The issue also began to shake up the local political scene, with President Hashim Thaci initially declaring the tax should not be maintained but later changed because of Serbia's tough campaign against Kosovo independence and the blocking of dialogue, conditioning it to remove the tax.
Later, northern Serbian municipalities tried to insulate a humanitarian crisis by shutting down shops and claiming that there were no basic products, but as intelligence had discovered it all resulted in being a farce.
Head of the House and once of The PDK, Kadri Wessel, declared in the summer of this year that the tax should be suspended as it threatened friendship with the US and the European Union.
It all culminated with Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj's resignation, arguing that he was invited by the Special Court, while later would claim there was pressure to lift the tax.
Kosovo is already in a new political reality with Vetevendosje Movement Chairman Albin Kurtin, as the potential candidate to assume the prime minister's post.
The same has promised that with Serbia there will be only political and economic reciprocity.
