Poaching continues with product origin flags, 30 businesses fine for 3 months

Many citizens have observed this fraud and have photographed model products as actual evidence of fraud on their part, so by disseminating them to all social networks, especially in the “Bese-Bea-Bea-Bea” campaign. The areas for boycotting Serbian products.

From the Ministry of Industry, Intermandance and Trade, they have said that for this kind of violation, the market inspectorate during January-March 2023 has realised 119 inspections and imposed 30 fines on businesses.

And according to this ministry, during 2022, the Inspectorate has conducted 663 inspections and imposed 181 fines and 40 requests for the initiative of counter-vest procedure in competent courts,

The “Only inspectors in the market sector (which sector is responsible for inspection of the markets) , during 2022, 663 inspections have been conducted and 181 fines and 40 requests for the initiative of the anti-vative procedure in competent courts, while by January-March 2023 119 inspections have been conducted and 30 fines”, the MINT response reported.

Moreover, according to MINT, the Market Inspectorate every day accepts complaints and consumer announcements, as well as the lack or exchange of the state flag of product origin.

For fraud of the origin of goods, the penalties are between 1,000 euros and 10,000 euros.

The market's “Inspectorate daily accepts complaints and consumer reports, among other things, for lack or exchange of the state flag of product origin. The setting of the label, which shows the state flag of product origin, is binding on the Consumer Protection Law and aims to inform consumers more clearly and easily about the origin of products they buy or consume. The Market Inspectorate, in any case when it finds that the flag tag of the product origin is not imposed according to law or label has been changed to the flag of any other country. The economic operator is commanded to act on the legal obligation and to the same sentence measures --” -- said in written response.

Following the campaign against Serbian products, Burim Piraj initiator of the group “Bese (Bese”) stresses that there is no increase in the trade deficit, but, as he adds, because of rising prices are finding statistics and that there is higher import from Serbia.

He has accused several business owners of putting no banners at all on shelves where products are placed to sell Serbian products, which even have an expiration deadline.

The products of other countries' origin have not changed flags, namely, in Serbian products there are such problems, which means that market owners are changing them or even workers. The firms that are importing these products are trying in various ways to make manipulations so that products can be sold as originally from Serbia, which are at the end of the expiration deadline. And this looks like vendors panic selling these products... There are brands that didn't set the flags at all, we've been able to report to the market inspector... There is no commercial deficit increase, there is imaginary growth, because prices have increased, due to price hikes, they are assuming there is higher import from Serbia. If we calculate the amount, there's less on the basis of the conversations we've had with customs representatives, so the amount is smaller, but the price is greater, and they're also figuring it's growing, but there's actually reduced Serbian products”, Piraj said.

PDK MP Hisen Berisha tells of a phenomenon occurring in the country's northern peak.

Berisha points out that in the northern part of the country some workers are paid 20 euros for changing Serbian beverage tickets, as he says to place Albania's original ticket in order to return to the Kosovo market.

He stresses that changing national origins and symbols is shameful.

This is the least that can happen, and the most embarrassing the change of national symbols for identifying or lying identity of products. But, what is most tragic, what I've established in the Kosovo Assembly, is for collecting all Serbian products, “Coca cola”, “Fanta” and “Sprite”, sending them to the northern part of the country, and there are several workers paid from 20 euros who change the ticket. In just one hand of my information, 200 thousand tickets to “Ca cola” and Serbian beverages have been changed by 200 thousand tickets from Albania, “Made in Albania”, which have been put back to Serbian products and returned to Kosovo. This is the game that has been played within Kosovo”, says Berisha.

And the latter said that a lack of patriotism is a failure to educate national values.

When I talked about the need to change educational Julys in history, it was exactly the idea that the system of consolidated values in Kosovo was required to be legally codified and that when you have a unified value system and youth education comes into the spirit of national values, and that not educating national values means lack of patriotism in youth... Love of the State also means love for the country, which moved to abandon other countries' products”, he stressed.

And citizen Shqithim Kastrati says fraud from the markets is happening every time.

He points out that every time he goes to the market, he faces flag change in products, and the price on the cash register doesn't turn out to be the same as the shelf.

It's not just the flags that are changing, it's changing the price, it's sitting on the shelf and they put it on the chest at the next price, that what they put on the flags is not discussed, that happens every time I go to the market... I'm not surprised, because we're used to, just about what I remember we've had this kind of fraud, with some truth, I might be surprised that for such cases no”, said Cattra.

According to the latest Kosovo Statistics Agency report(ASK), imports from CEFTA countries arrived in March 2023 at 92.5m euros, or 18.2% of total imports, with a decline of 0.7%. The countries with the highest share in import was: Serbia at 5.8%, Albania at 5.5%, and Northern Macedonia at 5.0%.

In March alone, Kosovo has imported goods from Serbia, worth 29m and 286 thousand euros.

The data from Kosovo's Foreign Trade goods shows a higher deficit for 5.3% in March 2023, in proportion to the same period in 2022, worth 426.8m euros, compared to the deficit of 405.3m euros in 2022 respectively. Exports, meanwhile, cover import with 16.1%.