In one month 30 exporters lost over USD 13 million
26. August 2011. | 21:51
Source: Tanjug
Head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) Milos Bugarin said Friday that 30 of the largest Serbian exporters lost over USD 13 million between July 20 and August 20 because of Kosovo's ban on Serbian goods.
Head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS) Milos Bugarin said Friday that 30 of the largest Serbian exporters lost over USD 13 million between July 20 and August 20 because of Kosovo's ban on Serbian goods.
The losses in merchandise that comes from Kosovo are at USD 130,000, Bugarin told the Radio and Television of Serbia.
If this were to continue, the losses at the end of the year would surpass USD 200 million, he believes.
The problems that Simpo and other Serbian companies face in Zubin Potok, Kosovo, because they are unable to deliver their products to central Serbia constitute a flagrant breach of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), he stated.
The PKS and the Serbian government have been among the first to write to the CEFTA Secretariat, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele and Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert asking that the issue be resolved as soon as possible, Bugarin noted.
He thinks Croatian, Montenegrin, Bulgarian and Macedonian companies could take over the market positions held by Serbian companies in Kosovo during their absence.
Bugarin also pointed to the indirect damage the ban will cause, since the merchandise will be smuggled to Kosovo and sold illegally.
The long-term damage lies in the fact that Serbian products will be replaced by others, Bugarin remarked, adding that Croatia's Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor visited Kosovo accompanied by representatives of 45 companies.
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