The Consequences of Policy - Hidden Tax

According to them, Kosovo can, for the time being, lose international support in speeding up the process of transforming the Kosovo Security Force into the Army, while in the external plan, the consequences are seen in deepening isolation and being blocked by European integrations.

While they have reservations on whether the tax can be seen as an obstacle to continuing dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, recalling that this dialogue was interrupted even before the tariff was set.

Politologist Ramush Tahiri, tells Radio Free Europe, that the tax consequences may be in some respects, and, he says, they can do damage to the country.

I think that Kosovo will have consequences if it does not suspend the tax, in international isolation with European integrations, in access to international funds and in full other things that exist as international sanctions against a country that does not respect the rules, international conventions and good neighbourly relations, and which takes unilateral measures”, Tahiri said.

Tahiri thinks that so far Kosovo is not much investigating the consequences both in multilateral and bilateral relations, or as he says, politicians are managing the consequences of not being understood in broad opinion.

“I consider that Kosovo cannot behave alone in the international arena and that it cannot impose conditions it considers to be right, since until today no individual state has supported Kosovo's measures against Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Tahiri said.

Meanwhile, analyst Shkelzen Maliqi thinks the consequences for Kosovo can be obvious, especially if the tax imposed on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is an obstacle to dialogue.

The “obviously initially seemed to be damaging much to Kosovo's reports with the main allies, but now those who seem to have softened the stance, and these last two weeks they are not insisting so much on tax waivers, besides the European Union, which continues to demand this -- that is, the removal of the” tax, Maliqi said.

On the other hand, analyst and editor-in-chief of the daily “The New Age”, Muhamet Mavraj, considers that Kosovo has also been served a kind of condemnation for the Kosovo Security Force, but as he points out, there can be no other sentences.

Mavraj told Radio Free Europe, that now at this stage Kosovo must strengthen the interpretation of the tax.

There is no reason to have consequences if we unify around a unique interpretation about the issue of tax and dialogue. Clearly, those who are the strongest in interpretation can also blame themselves. This is where the war should be to remove the blame from Kosovo. Kosovo has no parameters to be considered guilty if it knows to interpret its actions”, Mavray said.

Despite interpretations by the European Union as a facilitator in Kosovo talks Serbia, that without the suspension of the tax, it cannot continue dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, analyst Mavraj thinks the tax has not interrupted the dialogue.

“This tax is not guilty of interrupting dialogue, this tax has been necessary as countering the actions of Serbia”, Mavraj said.

The Kosovo government has not yet suspended customs duties on Serbia, despite international calls.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, in his presentation to the media, has said that from the recent meetings he had with senior American officials, but also those of EU states, it has been demanded that the customs tariff on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina be suspended. But despite these demands, Haradinaj continues to maintain the position that the tax will not be lifted until Serbia recognises Kosovo's independence.

The dialogue mediated by the European Union, between Kosovo and Serbia, has been blocked since Kosovo imposed a 100 per cent customs tax and which is imposed on November 21st, 2018.