Washington Agreement: Kosovo productions on Serbia's market

The agreement on normalisation of economic relations between Kosovo and Serbia, signed on 4 September 2020 in Washington, has led the company “Agro Kosova Holding” from Suhareka, which deals with grape wine production, to double the amount of sale of this product in the state of Serbia.

On September 4th 2020, the prime minister, currently in charge of Kosovo, Avdullah Hoti and Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, at the White House, in the presence of United States President Donald Trump, signed the agreement on economic normalisation, which has 16 points.

After that agreement, on September 14th, the company “Agro Kosova Holding” from Kosovo and the company “Europa Test” from Serbia signed an agreement worth a million euros, which allows Kosovo products to be sold in Serbia.

Wessel: Washington's deal finalised in February 2021

Albulen Wessel, manager at the company, in a conversation for Radio Free Europe, says that under the deal, the first shipment to Serbia has gone to November 2020, and in February 2021, the second shipment, with which the deal will be finalised, will also be exported.

Our company has been present on Serbia's market since 2017. But the contract, which has been realised under the Washington Agreement, has doubled the amount of exports to Serbia. Up until now, 30 percent has been the value of circulation, but with this agreement, the amount” has doubled, points out Wessel.

Wessel says that besides the contract the company “Agro Kosova Holding” has under the Washington Agreement, with the company in Serbia “Euro Test”, already in negotiations with other companies on the market. In addition to Serbia's market, this company exports to various countries in the region and Europe. It counts 50 regular workers and another 200 seasonals.

We've already had demand for our products, but demand has already been increased by new buyers”, she said.

Tahiri: We have constantly exported to Serbia

Even the panel and pipe radiator production company “Enrad” from Gjilan is constantly on Serbia's market, says company director Tahir Tahir Tahiri.

It shows that over a year on Serbia's market, his company exports products worth 1. 5m euros, in seven Serbian companies with which there are contracts.

We've been exporting for years. We have the same companies that have contracts and we work with them regularly. We have seven or eight companies in Serbia”, he said.

Producers from Kosovo have been struggling to export their products to Serbia, either because, as producers say, Serbia's citizens do not consume Kosovo products, either numerous problems with documents in which the Republic of Kosovo writes, and Serbian authorities do not recognise them.

This is borne out by the commercial balance between these two countries. According to official Kosovo Customs data, during 2020, Kosovo products on Serbia's market have reached the value of over 27m euros, while Serbia's products on the Kosovo market are about 160m euros.

But, Tahir Tahiri from the company “Enrad” says he has not faced such problems.

Our products are regularly accepted because they have quality. Any state that has reasonable quality and price products is accepted by other states as well as Serbia. I haven't had a paper problem. In our documents, we write ASH. P.K. Gilan. Gjilan in Kosovo is”, he emphasises.

Kosovo-made radarists from 80s found in Serbia

It shows that radiators used for central heating, produced in Kosovo, even before the war were on Serbia's market.

The company “Enrad” was once social enterprise “Yugoterm”, but was privatised in 2012. After this period, Tahiri recalls that the company has been destroyed and without adequate technology. Years later, millions of euros have been invested in the facility and technology, which currently numbers over 200 workers and 500 radiators to be produced overnight. These products, on the other hand, are already present in the market of Albania, Northern Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Greece.

Even when the company was a social company, in 1978 it had the market of the countries of the former Yugoslavia. Even after the war ended, we continued our export. Then, in 2012, the company was privatised and continued free export”, Tahiri said.

Otherwise, in the documents of products produced in Kosovo, in which the Republic of Kosovo writes, in some cases are not accepted by customs authorities in Serbia.

Customs and goods statements, commercial bills, certificates of origin, are some documents required to export a product from Kosovo to another state. But Serbia does not accept these documents.

The Kosovo government in 2018, led by Ramush Haradinaj, had imposed a 100 per cent customs tax on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tax was then followed by reciprocity. But, by choice, incumbent Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti removed all measures in order to give the opportunity to continue dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. Dialogue in Brussels resumed in July 2020. /rel