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During the last year, Kosovo has changed its trading partners. From the middle of 2023, Albania took the lead, followed by North Macedonia.
Serbia has reduced imports by about 50%. The decrease in imports from the northern neighbor was dictated by the security measure, which the Government decided in June last year.
Serbian products have lost their leadership in the Kosovo market during the past year but also at the beginning of this year.
While in 2022, Serbia was the main trading partner from the CEFTA countries, the security measures established by the Government in June 2023 have replaced it with Albania and North Macedonia.
The GAP Institute has shown that only last year imports from Serbia fell by 47 percent. In contrast, the import to Albania for 28 percent.
"From 372 million euros of imports from this country (Serbia) in 2022, during 2023 they have fallen to 198 million euros or by -47 percent. Among the other main neighboring partners, there is a significant increase in imports from Albania by +28 percent compared to 2022, as well as from North Macedonia by +10 percent".
There was also an increase in imports from Germany, China and India.
Based on the Customs data, there was a decrease in imports from Serbia at the beginning of this year as well. For two months, goods worth 13 million euros were imported.
Lulzim Rafuna, president of the Chamber of Commerce, in a statement to the media, said that local businesses have continued to import products from the same brands, but that have representation in other countries in the region.
"It is known that many companies that produce in Serbia have reoriented their partners from Kosovo to buy the goods from their sister companies in Macedonia, such as CocaCola, which was previously imported from Serbia, while now it has been reoriented to Skopje, which is the same owner, has directed it to be imported from Macedonia because of the measure by the Government".
Rafuna has emphasized that despite the change of partner countries, there has been no increase in prices for consumers.
"From the information we have as a chamber, some of the partners have taken it upon themselves to cover the cost of transportation, as it is known that one of the reasons we have done with Serbia was because of the proximity we have, but on the other hand, we should not let's forget that most of the companies that are in Serbia come from Germany, first with manufacturing companies, then Italians, American companies come, so the absolute majority are foreign companies that produce and export from Serbia to Kosovo".
In recent years, Kosovo has seen an increase in imports from Albania. According to the data of the Customs, in 2022, goods worth 255 million euros were imported, while 326 million euros were imported last year.
In order for the commercial cooperation between these two countries to increase, the Chamber of Commerce has also recommended the transition to a unique value added tax system.
"With Albania, we need to take measures for our two Governments to move to another level of cooperation, to eliminate some administrative and non-administrative barriers that are affecting the cost of business and the time of transporting goods".
And according to the data of the GAP Institute, during the year 2023 there was an increase in imports from India by 529 percent.
From 46 million euros, which was the value of imported goods in 2022, last year this value increased to over 292 million euros.
Even from Germany there was an increase in imports by 23 percent, or 140 million euros more, as well as from China by 19 percent, which means that Chinese goods worth 102 million euros more entered the Kosovar market.
The ruling party, Vetëvendosje Movement, has shown on Wednesday that "Albania is now the main partner of Kosovo in terms of trade".
VV also mentioned the opposition, saying that "they wanted overnight to fix what they have done to them for 20 years".
"You remember the opposition, you remember their economic experts, as well as those in the television studios, how every night they talked about the record of Serbia's goods in Kosovo. They wanted overnight to fix what they have done for 20 years. And here we are, for the first time and so many years after the war, Serbia has lost the market for 50% in Kosovo, while the first is Albania, followed by North Macedonia. The Kurti government, with fair policies and sure steps towards economic independence"./ Monitor
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