Gerxhaliu: The US and Europe have taken the Serbian goods blockade seriously; a compromise will certainly be reached

The former President of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and economic expert, Safet Gerxhaliu, stated to Kosovo Online that the US and Europe have taken the ban on Serbian goods imports to Kosovo seriously, and he believes that a compromise will certainly be reached.

There is no official decision on the ban of Serbian goods imports to Kosovo, and the Kosovo government claims it is a "security measure." However, the fact is that since June 14 of last year, a blockade on Serbian products has been in effect.

Gerxhaliu recalled that Germany had offered an alternative if, as he says, the issue is indeed a security concern.

"The fact is that Europeans offered an alternative to solve these issues if there is a problem with ensuring the security of what is being imported. The Germans themselves offered the most modern technology to scan everything entering Kosovo. Furthermore, we are not only blocking the import of Serbian goods but also European brands produced in Serbia, and there are so many of them that they simply cannot be banned. If you analyze what we mostly import, aside from finished products, it's raw materials and semi-finished goods, and in this context, directly, indirectly, or peripherally, this affects Made in Kosovo products as well. Therefore, it's no surprise that we are seeing a decline in exports compared to the previous year," said Gerxhaliu.

When asked if there will be a "deblockade" for Serbian products, Gerxhaliu emphasized that this issue is being raised ahead of two significant events.

"The first is the Berlin Process and its 10-year anniversary, and the second is that we are entering an election campaign, which makes it difficult to make such a move, as it is costly and could potentially affect votes. But regardless, I believe that both the Americans and Europeans have taken this issue very seriously, and a compromise will certainly be reached because I think it's time for politicians in the Balkans to look at things from a different perspective—not just fighting for votes, but also fighting for the citizens and the state," Gerxhaliu said.