Sarrazin: I would like goods from Serbia to pass through Merdare more quickly

Germany's Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Manuel Sarrazin, commented on the traffic jams at the Merdare crossing since the ban on Serbian goods was lifted, saying that the images from that crossing are concerning, and that he would like trucks carrying goods from Serbia to move more quickly, reports Radio KiM.

Sarrazin also praised the progress made with Serbia agreeing that Kosovo can be represented independently in CEFTA, rather than through UNMIK as it has been until now. He also positively assessed the lifting of the ban on imports of Serbian-origin goods into Kosovo.

When asked by journalists whether it can be considered progress if trucks with goods from Serbia are waiting in kilometer-long lines for several days to enter Kosovo, while food products from Kosovo are subjected to weeks-long phytosanitary checks in Serbia, Sarrazin said that he would indeed like the trucks to move faster.

"Manual inspection of goods for security reasons when entering Kosovo is not illegal, nor are the phytosanitary checks in Serbia. However, the images coming from Merdare are problematic, and we would like to see the trucks move as quickly as possible," he replied.

Germany, he added, understands the concerns of the Kosovo government regarding security, especially after the attack in Banjska.