Kosovo signed an agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) on January 22 after talks that lasted more than two and a half years. Who is part of the association, how will Kosovo producers benefit from the Free Trade Agreement and what are the facilities for them?
If a local kosovar producer is forced to pay an additional 10 percent Customs Tariff to export his goods to a heavily exiled country, like Switzerland, from now on he will not pay the extra price, but will not pay any customs duties at all.
This has been enabled by a newly signed agreement between Kosovo and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which, in addition to Switzerland, includes Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
The lifting of tariffs is one of the facilities that will be enjoyed by Kosovar companies that export or want to export to EFTA member states, with which Kosovo signed a Free Trade Agreement on January 22, less than three years after it opened talks with the organization.
The agreement offers many options, including those for importing and exporting goods. Consumers and companies can enjoy cheaper prices, while domestic companies can sell their products more easily in foreign markets.
The agreement allows companies in contracting countries similar or better access than their competitors from third countries, according to EFTA.
The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, expressed confidence after the signing of the agreement in Davos, Switzerland that it “will bring benefits to businesses, industries and citizens of all countries [parties]”.
The agreement between Kosovo and EFTA covers areas such as trade in goods and services, intellectual property rights, trade facilitation, sustainable trade development, and legal and horizontal provisions.
About 115,000 Kosovars live in Switzerland, according to the latest data from 2022 from the Swiss State Secretariat for Immigration.
The Kosovo Agency of Statistics has not yet published the 2024 census data for Kosovars living in Switzerland.
