Bosnia and Herzegovina's ministers did not take in consideration countermeasures as a response to Kosovo's decision to introduce 100 percent customs tariffs for import of goods originating from Bosnia, Minister for Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic said on Thursday.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina is not considering countermeasures. We don't think we should follow that example. We'll give a chance to solving this problem in a different way,” Sarovic said following a session of Bosnia's Council of Ministers.
The state ministers passed conclusions regarding the Kosovo measures, one saying that the decision to raise taxes violates the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) and another urging the European Commission to urgently engage with solving of this problem.
The Council of Ministers also said it would not be considering countermeasures against Kosovo for now.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina did not trigger Kosovo's decision by any means. Bosnia and Herzegovina was not consulted or informed at all before the decision was passed, which was unfair on Kosovo's part,” said Sarovic.
Foreign Affairs Minister, Igor Crnadak, assessed the decision as political.
“The only reasonable thing to do is to withdraw this decision. It is important what is Brussels going to do. Brussels statements alone are not enough. This is not only about trade, this is an attack on the stability of the region as a whole,” Crnadak underlined.
Pristina authorities increased on Wednesday the import customs duties for goods from Bosnia and Serbia by 100percent, after earlier this month they raised the taxes by 10 percent.
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While the Kosovo Government explained that the decision was aimed to strengthen the domestic production and economy of Kosovo, the officials of Bosnia and Serbia stressed this was a direct breach of the CEFTA regulations.
