Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and the European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström agreed in Brussels on Wednesday that Kosovo import tariffs on goods from Serbia and Bosnia had undermined the regional stability, BETA news agency reported.
A statement from Brnabic’s office said the country had lost an estimated 25.7 million Euros in export due to the 100 percent import tariffs introduced by Pristina early last month and that if the decision remained in place, Belgrade would suffer 65.5 million Euros loss at the end of the year.
Brnabic told Malmström the taxes were in collision with the European values and the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and thwarted the stability in the area, while Belgrade wanted a stable region “to which investors will come, and the youth won’t leave.”
The statement said Malmström was worried about Pristina’s decision and that it had to be withdrawn. She was quoted as saying the move did not have an economic background but political context. Malmström also thanked Serbia which, “as the largest regional country, had a constructive approach and insisted on an agreement as a solution to the issue,” the statement said.
