Kosovo to phase out tariff on Serbia imports, US opposes ‘new barriers’

Kosovo’s government has decided to phase out its 100 percent tariff on imports from Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina from Wednesday. The move, however, did not ease international pressure on Serbia’s breakaway province.

The United States and the European Union had pushed for lifting the import taxes. Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced early on Wednesday that his caretaker cabinet would instead require goods from Serbia to be certified for quality, a mandate already in place for Kosovar products shipped to Serbia.

Marko Djuric, head of Serbia’s office for Kosovo, rejected Kurti’s move, saying “the situation did not deescalate or return to the previous state when uncivilized taxes were introduced.”

The US Embassy in Kosovo said in a statement on Wednesday that they “remain opposed to the latest move to implement reciprocal measures on the movement of goods from Serbia,” AP reports. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, hailed Kosovo’s move as “an important decision.”