Bosnia’s Foreign Minister asked EU officials at a meeting in Poznan, Poland, on Thursday to pressure Kosovo into abolishing the 100 percent tariffs it introduced for goods coming from Bosnia and Serbia.
“I once again asked for more pressure on Pristina to abolish the sanctions it introduced against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia,” Crnadak said.
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He met with EU officials at the 6th Berlin Process Summit and meeting of Western Balkan leaders where the complex relations between the countries of the peninsula are discussed.
In November 2018, Pristina authorities introduced protective measures on all products from Serbia and Bosnia, the only two countries in the region that have not recognized Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.
Tariffs were raised from 10 to 100 percent in less than a month after their introduction, and despite calls from the international community and warnings from the US, Kosovo remained adamant to keep the tariffs in place.
“At first we thought of it as tariffs, but when we saw that it completely destroyed our export, it became clear that these are real sanctions, and if you have sanctions you cannot have regional cooperation,” Crnadak explained.
He said that he does not see “even the smallest will” among Kosovo officials for that to change.
Crnadak also asked members of the EU to identify all individuals, parties and occurrences in Bosnia and Herzegovina which have an “anti-European and anti-democratic” impact.
“It is very important that the EU is firmly present and insists on respecting European and democratic standards,” he said.
