7 minutes agoMini-Shengen for elimination of CEFTA barriers
Periskopi(6 years ago)
(6 years ago)The establishment of the common regional market, or how otherwise known as the mini-Shengen, is more advanced and profitable than the Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, says Arrian Zeka, chief executive in the American Economic Ode in Pristina. Western Balkan leaders have signed a joint declaration to the common regional market on November 10th. [...]
The establishment of the common regional market, or how otherwise known as the mini-Shengen, is more advanced and profitable than the Free Trade Agreement, CEFTA, says Arrian Zeka, chief executive in the American Economic Ode in Pristina.
Western Balkan leaders have signed a joint declaration to the common regional market on November 10th. This pledge was made at the Sofia summit, which was held under the Berlin Process and co-chaired by Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia.
The Sofia summit has been held online, and Kosovo was represented by Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, besides, by leaders of the countries of the region: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, and EU Commissioner for Neighbor and Enlargement Oliver Varhely also participated in the summit.
Zeka: Regional market, preparation for EU integration
The Republic of Kosovo, Zeka says, has pledged on 4 September to the White House in Washington that it will join the mini-Shengen area, declared by Serbia, Albania and Northern Macedonia in October 2019.
“CEFTA envisions free movement of goods, while with the mini-Shengen area, with the creation of a unified economic zone, it will also be possible to promote so-called freedoms beyond the movement of goods, including freedom of movement of services, people and capital. What it means is an advantage of the Central European Free Trade Agreement”, Zeka says.
The six Western Balkan countries are part of the free trade zone, through the Free Trade Agreement, known for the February CEFTA.
CEFTA is an international agreement established by the European Union, aimed at facilitating the trade exchanges of Western Balkan countries.
Krasniqi: Unless CEFTA barriers are eliminated, no other agreement is needed
But, Minister of Trade and Industry in the Government of Kosovo Vesel Krasniqi said that establishing a common market among Western Balkan countries would facilitate business access only if the respective states do not establish trade barriers.
If you don't remove the barriers, then we don't need another deal with the same string”, Krasniqi said.
Kosovo in 2007, a year before its independence declaration, has joined this mechanism. But it has not always been implemented by signatory states, namely by the state of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, these states that do not recognise Kosovo's independence.
But, Arrian Zeka, says that with the functioning of the common regional market, Kosovo to extend its presence in this market should focus not only on the aspect of goods, but also on providing various services.
Also for young professionals from Kosovo, for the workforce to provide their services within this new area, whenever it functions. The entire Western Balkan region would have to exploit this as a new opportunity before integration into the European Union, when all barriers will be eliminated altogether. Rivally, competitive pressure will be greater, but also the possibility of profiting a market that will exceed 30 countries will be greater in a market of over 500 million”, Zeka points out.
Even Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti in an interview for Radio Free Europe has said that from the Sofia Summit pledges “benefits are all countries, including Kosovo, because it is different when you have access to a market that has far more consumers to operate and sell” products.
According to him, this above all greatly affects attracting investments, increasing competitiveness and preparing this market for EU integration.
“What is very important to us is that this market does not replace the common market with the EU, but increases economic integration among countries”, Hoti has said.
Typhorus and non-tariff barriers that have featured some of the Western Balkan countries
The Western Balkan countries have, over the years, established trade barriers. Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have almost consistently created trade barriers to products ʹMade in Kosova', not knowing the documentation issued by this state.
Serbia continues not to respect the sign of confirmation during import of products, which shows that the product is in the suit of dignity in terms of security and health, according to standards required by the European Union. In addition to the sign of confirmation, Serbia's state stands in the way of businesses and Kosovo products crossing its territory.
Just because of these problems, the Kosovo Government in November 2018 had imposed a 100 per cent tax on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in response to the policies of these two states against Kosovo's citizenship and its membership in international mechanisms and organisations.
As of April of this year, past government led by former Prime Minister Albin Kurti has replaced the tax with the measure of reciprocity. But once the prime minister takes office, Avdullah Hoti removed the reciprocity measure.
Various bars have also presented Albania and Northern Macedonia. Representatives of producers in Kosovo had claimed that Albanian authorities are hampering producers from Kosovo, such as the case of the accysis of beer, then the follow-up procedures in Albania, the payment of scanners, the swimming of analysis, the failure to take a bill price base from Albanian Customs and many other obstacles.
The problems with Northern Macedonia, however, were in June last year, when official Skopje had imposed tariff barriers to the fish case. Later, the Kosovo government had retaliated by imposing reciprocity measures for certain products of Northern Macedonia.
