Rafuna: Today, Serbia to seek removal of barriers to Kosovo goods

So Kosovo Chairman of the Economic Ode of Kosovo Lulzim Rafuna told Radio.

The “Takim is held in the mediation of the North Macedonia Economic Odea, but there will also be European Commission officials and German Government officials who are also founders of the initiative under the Berlin” Process, Rafuna, who has praised the role of Northern Macedonia.

He said that Wednesday in Skopje, Stevo Pendarovski is hosted at the meeting by the president of Northern Macedonia.

The Western Balkans Economic Odays Management Board is holding a regular meeting in Skopje. The board of this mechanism, founded under the Berlin Process, is led by Kosovo Economic Ode Chairman Lulzim Rafuna, who has taken the next chairmanship from Serbia, by February this year.

The Western Balkans' Economic Oday Investment Forum, as it is known, is created under the Berlin Process and is monitored by senior officials from the German government and those of the European Commission.

The meeting, which began yesterday and continues today, is regular, says in an interview for Radio Kosovo Chairman of the Western Balkan Economic Odays Management Board Lulzim Rafuna.

He stressed that he proposed that the next meeting of this mechanism be held in Pristina

Rafuna said concerns over the barriers Serbia has now established and how many years for products and goods from Kosovo have raised yesterday.

For today's meeting, Rafwan said he is optimistic. Today's “Meeting is not only a bilatheral meeting between the Kosovo Oda and Serbia, but it is a broader meeting where representatives of other Odas of Western Balkan countries are, as well as German and European Commission officials. “

Today's <x0m> Meeting is also a golden opportunity, as the Western Balkans Economic Oday Management Board is driven by Kosovo by February, and this offers the opportunity to lift the possibility of raising all existing concerns. ”

For the concrete obstacles and barriers imposed by Serbia for Kosovo goods, Rafuna says:

“Penes and main barrier is preventing the export of Kosovo products towards Serbia. These concerns were raised daily by Kosovo producers, who come to the office of the Kosovo Economic Ode. Word comes, Kosovo Beer is not allowed to be exported to Serbia for the only reason because the beer label writes “Made in Kosova”. There is a huge demand from numerous companies in Serbia for the import of Kosovo beer, but this is hampered by Serbian government. The same obstacles exist for the products of non-alcoholic liquids. The producers themselves of these products have raised concerns that only two days a week can be exported to Serbia, as Serbia keeps its inspectors at the border, while Kosovo keeps its inspectors 24 hours during seven days of weeks at border crossings. So now, they either have to put 24 hours in seven days of the week their inspectors on the border, or we can put our inspectors just like those two days a week, so they can't export another day to our country”.

Serbia's other hostage, according to Rafuna, is non-recognition of the certificates wins sanitation and veterinarians.

This penalises many Kosovo producers and companies, so they can't even export their goods to Serbia's” market.

There are many other problems of administrative nature, when Serbian border officials delay loads with goods for days, Rafuna says:

“They keep goods Kosovo for days on customs terminals with excuses for allegedly missing various goods analysis, automatizing the cost of Kosovo products and therefore making much more expensive the release of Kosovo products on the market in Serbia”.

All these obstacles will be raised today and we will make efforts to get rid of”, said Kosovo Economica Director Lulzim Rafuna.