prijava
SARAJEVO, March 1 (FENA) - Exports from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Kosovo in November 2018, the month when Kosovo imposed 100 percent tariff on products or goods from BiH, amounted to around KM 7.9 million, while in December in the same year amounted to KM 2.3 million, BiH Foreign Trade Chamber confirmed for FENA.
They state that in the first quarter of 2019 there was continuity of exports of an average of KM 1.36 million, after which in April it decreased by almost 70 percent compared to the previous month, falling to below half a million KM, whereby we realized a deficit higher than 50 percent on a monthly basis.
In the first two quarters of 2019, BiH exported goods to Kosovo worth KM 6.84 million and exports decreased by about KM 65 million or 90 percent compared to the same period last year.
According to the latest data, the volume of trade between BiH and Kosovo for 2019 amounted to only 26 million KM. Compared to the previous year, the difference in value is about 132 million KM.
Exports to Kosovo in 2019 amounted to KM 13.5 million (90 percent less than in the previous year), exporting mainly footwear and clothing.
Imports from Kosovo amounted to KM 12.83 million (22 percent less than in the previous year). The products with the highest value in imports are leather, iron and steel products, alcoholic beverages.
BiH Foreign Trade Chamber stated that immediately after Kosovo introduced tariffs, they reacted to all relevant institutions in BiH, emphasizing the fact that the decision of the Kosovo institutions is not only a gross violation of the CEFTA Agreement, but also a violation of the principle of regional cooperation.
In the total exchange of BiH with the world, about 14 percent goes to CEFTA countries, of which almost four percent goes to Kosovo. Although it does not seem like a large market, it is not small for the BiH economy, considering that it is one of the few markets in which the surplus was recorded.
The biggest danger is that in this situation, BiH entrepreneurs lose the market and other partners take their place, and once you lose the market it is very difficult to return to the same position.
FTC hopes that, as Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced, tariffs will be abolished and that the Kosovo market will be open to raw materials and products from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
(FENA) A. B.
