April 1 (SeeNews) - Kosovo prime minister Albin Kurti said that as of April 1, the country is removing all tariffs on imports from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and applying reciprocity on all matters regarding imports from Serbia.
The decision will remain in force until June 15, when a comprehensive assessment will be made on the implementation of the decision. In addition, the implementation and adequacy of this decision will be reviewed at least once a month, Kurti said on Tuesday, as cited in a statement published on the website of the prime minister office.
"This is the decision for gradual application of reciprocity as a guiding principle in relations with Serbia. In our trade relations with Serbia, the designations used in future documents must comply with the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo and the applicable legislation," the prime minister said.
The removal of the import tax was requested several times by EU and US officials in order to pave the way for the resumption of the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.
Serbia withdrew from talks on the normalisation with Kosovo in November 2018, when Pristina decided to impose a 100% tax on imports of all goods produced in Serbia and Bosnia. Kosovo's government said the higher tariffs were aimed at protecting Kosovo’s sovereignty and interests.
Kosovo, considered to be a potential candidate for EU membership by the European Commission, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has so far has been recognised by more than half of the 193 UN member states.