Montenegro to Benefit from Kosovo Trade Ban

Goran Scepanovic, deputy economics minister, has said that the country’s food producers should take advantage of the goods trade dispute between Belgrade and Pristina to increase exports to the Kosovo market.

Montenegrin producers cannot replace the export of the majority of products from Serbia to Kosovo, but they could use the opportunity to sell more meat and beverage products, according to Scepanovic.

The ban on the import of Serbian products to Kosovo and the increase of customs duties on products from Bosnia and Herzegovina opens the way for Montenegrin products, provided they meet standards applicable in Kosovo, Scepanovic told Montenegrin daily Vijesti.

He pointed out that Kosovo is the only trade partner with which Montenegro enjoys a surplus. In the first half of this year, that surplus amounted to about €7 million, while over the course of 2010, it totalled €16.8 million.

Scepanovic explained that the main Montenegrin products currently exported to the Kosovo market are timber, steel and food products.