Serbia has blocked trucks transporting goods to and from Kosovo, in violation of open corridors agreed in the Western Balkans during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kosovo’s Minister for Infrastructure Lumir Abdixhiku announced the news, calling the blocking of trucks at this time “inhumane”.
In an unprecedented move during pandemics Serbian authorities have blocked all freight forwarders (transport operators) coming from Kosovo. This an inhumane and a flagrant breach of regional agreement on green corridors during COVID19 fight, that all WB6 countries have agreed on.
— Lumir Abdixhiku (@Abdixhiku) April 21, 2020
On April 1, Kosovo lifted tariffs against Serbian goods imposed in November 2018, and started to implement reciprocity measures until Serbia removes non-tariff trade barriers and stops its lobbying campaign against Kosovo’s recognition. Serbia wants reciprocity measures also dropped, however the reason behind the recent blocking of passage for Kosovo trucks is not clear.
Serbia and Kosovo were the last Western Balkan countries to adopt the recent proposal by CEFTA Secretariat for establishing green lanes in the region. The move aims at keeping open priority routes for transport of goods during the coronavirus epidemic.
Kosovo trucks were also blocked at the Serbian border before the adoption of the green lane initiative and replacement of tariffs with reciprocity measures.
