Radakovic on the anniversary of the ban on Serbian goods: It's becoming unbearable, all communities are suffering

Executive Director of the Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture, Dusan Radakovic, stated for Kosovo Online that he doesn't understand why the international community turns a blind eye to Pristina when it comes to the ban on imports of goods from Serbia to Kosovo because, as he says, this decision harms all communities.

Radakovic, on the anniversary of the ban on Serbian goods, noted that besides the Serbian community, the Albanian community is also suffering.

"The damage is measured in millions and millions of euros, Serbia suffers the most, but so does Kosovo. For example, people here have been using 'Plazma' for decades, and now we are forced to use some Italian 'Plazmon' or some Kosovar product, if we talk about specific products. Everyone is suffering, maybe the most in the north. We don't have products from Serbia that we are used to. We are forced to use food from unknown producers from different parts of Kosovo, from North Macedonia, Bosnia, Croatia, food that may be of dubious origin compared to 'my little cow', 'Plazma', and products we used from Serbia," says Radakovic.

He adds that it is an abnormally large damage suffered by citizens, as well as Serbian and Albanian companies engaged in import and export.

"I think this is a loss for all people in Kosovo," he says.

Radakovic emphasizes that according to CEFTA, it is "very clearly defined that there are no borders for export and import for companies operating in the European Union, as well as in the Balkans."

"Why the European Union, the U.S. Embassy, and institutions tolerate this, I don't know. Sporadically, every two to three months, ambassadors speak out, but very briefly. The ban on the import of goods was adopted in a very questionable manner, literally by verbal order, by phone. And to this day, we don't know if there is any written decision about it. It is highly questionable why the international community tolerates this," Radakovic concludes.

He also criticizes the behavior of the police in these circumstances.

"It is intolerable, the police literally torture people every day who try to import a bottle of water. Such behavior is shameless, and I think it needs to change very quickly, so that we can all live normally, so that in the 21st century we can function normally, importing from all countries in the region, and not have any country under a ban," concludes Radakovic.