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Simplification of customs procedures between Kosovo and Albania, reduction of waiting at border crossings and the establishment of a Kosovo customs office in the Port of Durres are some trade facilities between these two countries, which are soon expected to become legal.
On January 26, the Government of Kosovo approved the Draft Law on the implementation of customs facilities and control of entry and exit of goods.
The same measure has been approved by the Government of Albania.
It stems from the agreements that the two countries signed at the joint meeting of their governments, held on November 26 last year in Elbasan.
Within days, the draft law is expected to be approved by the Assembly of Kosovo.
“On January 27, this draft law was processed in the Assembly, on 28 [janar] we distributed it to the deputies. He has two weeks to go to the session “, confirms for Radio Free Europe Ismet Krasniqi, Secretary General of the Assembly of Kosovo.
Business complaints about barriers
Representatives of businesses in Kosovo, for years, have complained that Albania imposed trade barriers when they export their products to this country, or when they use Albania as a transit point, to export to European Union countries.
For a transit crossing in the territory of Albania, the shoe factory “Solid” from Kosovo pays close to 80 euros, says Shpejtim Kuqi, director of the company.
“Albania does not recognize the transit that takes place in Kosovo, it wants to make a transit in Kukës and a scan of goods in Durrës. “It takes time and it is costly.”
Acceleration of transit procedures is also one of the points of trade facilitation agreements reached between Kosovo and Albania.
The Albanian Customs website states that there is already a common transit system.
This system is said to “enable businesses to initiate a transit procedure in the territory of Albania or Kosovo” and “close transit in another country (Kosovo or Albania), avoiding unnecessary border controls”.
According to Kuqi, this system is not implemented in practice.
Businesses in Kosovo have also complained about additional sanitary and phytosanitary documentation in Albania, non-recognition of the certificate of origin of products produced in Kosovo, high road tariffs, and others.
But, similar problems have been reported by businesses from Albania that export to Kosovo.
To eliminate such trade barriers, Kosovo and Albania, over the years, have signed dozens of agreements.
Over 90 of them focusing on improving trade exchanges have been signed in the last eight years. But, many times they have not found application.
The executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, Arian Zeka, tells Radio Free Europe that with the approval of draft laws on trade facilitation, the possibility is near that the barriers between the two countries will end.
“The approval of these draft laws enables the ratification of agreements and these trade barriers between the two countries will no longer have a legal basis to exist,” says Zeka.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, and the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, at the last meeting of their governments, have promised to eliminate all trade barriers that the businesses of the two countries have.
Over the years, Kosovo and Albania have invested billions of euros in the road infrastructure that connects them.
The value of products exchanged between the two countries differs. In 2020, Albania exported to Kosovo goods worth about 200 million euros, while Kosovo to Albania goods worth over 110 million euros.
Data for 2021 have not been published yet./REL
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