Kosovo Chamber of Commerce: Damage from EU punitive measures nearly 400 million euros

The European Union’s punitive measures against Kosovo have not been lifted, despite Brussels announcing that a decision on their full removal would be made by the end of January this year, while the Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo estimates the damage they have caused at 400 million euros, RTV 21 reports.

At the end of December last year, the European Union lifted part of the measures against Kosovo, but today neither the EU Office in Kosovo nor Brussels has an answer on how the issue will proceed.

The Chamber of Commerce of Kosovo says that the damage caused by the measures amounts to nearly 400 million euros.

“We hope that the measures will be lifted in the coming days, because they harmed us in two directions. In financial terms, we lost a great deal of funds and grants, as well as in terms of image, because the image was not good for foreign investors. Grants, as well as favorable loans, all of that together reached 300 to 400 million,” said the Chamber’s president, Lulzim Rafuna.

The full lifting of the EU measures was also announced yesterday by the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Albulena Haxhiu, but the day ended without an official decision from the Union.

At the Institute for European Studies, they do not expect the measures to be lifted without resolving the issue of the president.

“I believe that the EU should look at the situation in Kosovo under a magnifying glass. I believe that very soon the EU will make a positive decision because the measures were not good and they blocked Kosovo. They also expect a continuation of policy and clarity on how the issue of the president will be handled, so that there is no deadlock, and that may be one of the reasons why the measures have not been lifted,” said Jeton Halimi from the Institute for European Studies.

The EU punitive measures were introduced against Kosovo in June 2023 following a rise in tensions in the north.