Serbia <x0)

Only Serbia is seeing this change. In the first 5 months of this year from Serbia to Kosovo, goods worth approximately 132m euros have been imported.

Last year, 261m kg of products, worth over 300m euros, have been introduced from Serbia to Kosovo.

If compared to last year, in the first five months, we see that we have imported 261 million pounds of products from Serbia. This year, there are fewer, about 8 million pounds [8 million kg] of goods. The amount of products has been reduced, but the value has marked increases, due to the expensive price of products”, Kosovo Customs says.

Besides the import that is too large, Kosovo's export to Serbia has marked small growth.

“Brend five months have been exported goods worth approximately 25m euros. The positive figure, Kosovo has also marked goods export in relation to other states”. Some 354m euros have been exported so far. While by the end of the year, according to Kosovo Customs, the export value is expected to reach 900m euros.

Serbia replaces Albania

Former Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti, currently deputy of the Democratic League of Kosovo, has criticised the Kurti Government, as they thought they once turned trucks importing goods from Serbia and in 2021 Serbia returns to the first country with goods in Kosovo, with an increase of 76%.

In a Facebook post, Hoti writes: “in 2020, Albania was the first country in the region from Kosovo to import goods, northern Macedonia and second, while Serbia was third. In 2021 the trend changes. Serbia returns to first place, with a 76% increase. Once upon a time, some turned trucks that imported goods from Serbia. At one time, some vowed to reciprocity”, writes Hoti.

Albin Kurti, after being appointed prime minister the first time, made the decision to lift the 100% tax that Ramush Haradinaj had imposed on Serbian products. This is behind great international pressures. But, a few days before he became prime minister for the second time, in an interview together with President Vjosa Osmani had promised to decide the reciprocity measure for Serbia.

As Kurt said in 2021, establishing reciprocity will be a matter of days and weeks, but not months. Since then, however, more than a year has passed and Kosovo has not imposed reciprocity on Serbia.

As a result, imports from Serbia from 2019 when Kosovo had imposed the tax, until 2021, have increased significantly, exceeding 300m euros.

To that fact, days earlier Kurti Government spokesman Kryeziu had responded, and he tried to offer suggestions about what period to compare.

“One week compare imports from Serbia by 2020, when there were significant restrictions measures, so that due to pandemic, the borders were closed. And when it doesn't seem enough, they compare it to 2019 when the fee was set 100%. That year, at least officially, import was declining, but market shelves continued to be packed with Serbian goods, since what was previously officially introduced had started smuggling.
But you never see them making comparisons with 2017 or 2018, normal years of trading. Because then they would be forced to talk about real declines in imports from Serbia for about 32%, even 20 percent respectively, even after the total import increase, increased inspections and customs transfers, as well as closing illegal routes used for smuggling, especially in the country's north. In 2017, Serbia was in the first place from us to import, and in 2021 and this year, it took fourth place”, Kryeziu wrote on his official profile.

At the end of his response, Kryeziu says the point of increasing trade exchange with Albania.

At the same time, rarely do they talk about the continued increase in trade exchanges, in particular with friendly countries such as Germany, Turkey, and Albania. The less, for continued trade exchange growth with Albania. In Albania and Albania, we today export and import more than ever before”, Kryeziu says at the end of the response.

However, Prime Minister Albin Kurti, when speaking of economic growth, also compared the year 2020, when it was Pandemia Coved 19.

“E achieved emphasis this year is economic growth, virtually two-sided that has made us have an 800m-euro bonus in our economy. Incomes have increased, government spending has been reduced, budget revenues have increased, and government spending has been reduced. Budget revenues have increased by 30%, exports compared to 2020 by 90% and even 90% compared to 2019. Direct Foreign Investments have increased compared to 53% last year, and 80% compared to 2019 over the first months of the year, or the first quarter as measured. It's interesting as in the second quarter, we had economic growth of 16.3%, while in the third quarter, 14.3% 148x1>, Kurti had said.

In a month, Kosovo imported around 500m euros of goods

Statistics Agency statistics also show that Kosovo is still dependent on import of goods when in March of this year, many goods from foreign states have entered our country.

It does not want much analysis to be shown that Serbia continues to be the first on this list.

“... imports from CEFTA countries in March 2022 reached 93.2m euros, or 18.9% of total imports, with an increase of 30.7%. The countries with the highest share in import was: Serbia (6.5%), Albania (5.8%), Northern Macedonia (5.3%)”, the ASS report says.

Kosovo's imports from EU countries (27) included around 205.4m euros, or 41.6% of total imports, with an increase of 11.1%.

“Imports with the highest turnout were from: Germany (10.6%), Greece (4.8%), Italy (4.5%), etc.”, says the Kosovo Statistics Agency report on export and import flows for March 2022. While Kosovo's imports with other countries of the world reached 195.2m euros, or 39.5%. Countries with the highest share in import in this group were Turkey (13.8%) and China (10.5%).

Data from foreign goods trade in Kosovo points to the highest trade deficit for 26.4% in March 2022, in proportion to the same period in 2021, worth 405.3m euros, compared to the deficit 320.7m euros in 2021 respectively.

Export covers import by 17.9%

In the Kosovo market this year, smaller amounts of products have been imported, compared to the same period in 2021, but imports have been paid more dearly. Customs data for the period from January to May 20th shows that Kosovo has imported 1.6 billion pounds of various products, worth about 2 billion euros. During the same period last year, 1.9kg of products have been imported, costing over 1.5 billion euros.

Otherwise, the amount of imported goods has dropped by 11%, while their financial value has increased by 21%. Kosovo's Finance and Transfers Minister, Iron Murati, has said at a government meeting days ago that the rise in financial value of imports means increased revenues in state Customs is the result of economic growth in Kosovo and the decline of the informal economy.

Weeks ago, for two consecutive days in Amsterdam, the world's largest fair for Private Labelı was held. More than 3,500 production companies participated in the fair.

There were 13 companies from Kosovo, from the region only Serbia had more. Meanwhile, the Kosovo Producers Club was participating with 7 companies Executive Director of the Kosovo Club of Producers Astrit Panja, says these developments are showing that producers are ready for export, and Kosovo's economy is gradually being consolidated in the region as a serious player.

This fact proved to be of interest in our products, each company having an average of 50 meetings with potential buyers. According to McKinsey Company, to generate a business league, companies must spend an average of $2000. Make math to understand the importance of participating in this fair! And the results didn't go short, two contracts signed at the fair and many more are under way negotiating”, Panja wrote.

He has said that last year, Kosovo exports reached 740m euros, while this year, based on existing trends, exports are expected to exceed 1 billion euros.

The real face of Kosovo's economy is emerging, and beauty lies in the fact that, at last, systematic shift is taking place and the transmission for sustainable economic development based on the creation rather than the consumption of” values is under way.

Inflows into Kosovo Customs fill the state ark, just as revenues to the Kosovo Tax Administration. The latter, too, has made it known that between January 01nd and May 20, 2021, has raised about 229,000 euros, while in the same period this year, the value has reached over 303 thousand euros. /tch