The five EU states that do not recognise Kosovo “conquer” our market with goods

Non-governmental organisations in the country require the Kosovo government to be more pro-active in building relations with these states.

According to official data from Kosovo Customs, Greece exports goods to Kosovo within a year of about 150m euros, followed by Spain with 40m euros, Romania with 34m, Slovakia with 8m and Cyprus with about 1m.

Kosovo Customs spokesman Adriatic Stavileci says of Kosovo Prees, that last year Kosovo in the direction of these states has had symbolic exports.

He says Kosovo has exported goods to these countries only 4.2m euros in 2020, while this year 9.5m euros.

“mostly from these countries we have trade circulation with Greece, where we can say we had 138m euros last year, until this year we have a drop in 131 million products from Greece. As far as Spain, Slovakia, Romania and those countries also have imports and exports, but we can say they are lower. With Spain we have about 40m euros within a year of commercial circulation, until with Romania we have 34m euros, and Slovakia about 8m euros of imports... As in terms of exports and imports with these countries, we have industrial products, beginning with different colors imported from Greece, also ceramic plates and other glands, which are products that those states have as more exclusive. Even with Spain are mostly ceramic and porcelain plates coming from Spain... While, we export different glands from metal waste and then some other industrial products”, he says.

The executive director of the Council of European Investors (KIE), Emrush Ujkan, says of KosovoPress, that Spain's products are everywhere in our country's stores, and on the other hand, Spain, except that it has a rigorous approach in relation to Kosovo citizenship, also prevents the free movement of Kosovo citizens in terms of travel documents.

Therefore, he has asked Kosovo state institutions to work more in terms of foreign diplomacy.

The fact that Kosovo has a Stabilisation and Association Agreement signed with the EU, and in which there are five countries that do not recognise Kosovo, I think we have not taken much advantage of this element. Second, economic diplomacy has, if not, replaced political diplomacy in many ways. Today, such economic interests are the ones that do the policy of a state... with Spain, we're witnessing about their products on our market. Each market has a presence of these products, while Spain continues to have a very rigorous approach in relation to Kosovo's citizenship in some cases, including the free movement of our citizens with travel documents. Therefore, it is the government's duty to do a little bit more”, Wolfan says.

Even Lilica Agosolli from the Group for Jury and Political Studies (GLPS) by commenting on trade relations with these countries, says that the reconstruction of Kosovo's image with Spain, Greece and other states must first be done.

Over the years we have witnessed that these non-recognitions have limited and limited Kosovo in various ways, but in many cases besides Spain, all states have signalled co-operation positions with the state of Kosovo, as has been the last case with Greece. But Kosovo must work pro-active on building relations with these states. First, reconstruction of Kosovo's image with these states” should be done, Agusholli points out.

Kosovo as the newest state, whose citizenship has recognised 23 of the 28 European Union member states, has clear goals of EU integration. In view of Kosovo's aspirations for the European Union, which matter the most, are those of the five member states of this body: Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain. /Kosovo priss