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Prishtina, 8 February 2007 – Kosovo and Albania have agreed on close cooperation in the field of standardisation and accreditation. Deputy Head of UNMIK Pillar IV, Andreas Wittkwosky, and the Albanian Minister of Economy, Trade and Energy of the Republic of Albania, Genc Ruli, signed today a corresponding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Tirana, while Kosovar Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Bujar Dugolli, initiated it.
This MoU will enable the Kosovo Standardisation Agency, which operates under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, to have access to European Union technical standards which are developed by the European Committee for Standardisation and which are fully harmonized with the worldwide technical standards of the International Organization for Standardisation. Albania is a member of CEN and as such it can sell and distribute CEN standards in a manner that is compliant with CEN rules.
This will enable the Kosovo Standardisation Agency to adopt and distribute technical standards for the private sector and establish accreditation procedures for independent bodies that will do the certification of compliance with technical standards. Thus, the Memorandum will help Kosovo’s entrepreneurs to produce for foreign markets, compete with imported products and to adopt new technologies. Technical standards are also very important for ensuring the safety of workers and consumers and environmental protection.
The MoU will take Kosovo further in the EU approximation process and in the ongoing efforts and initiatives to create a South-eastern Europe regional market in harmony with the EU market.
ECIKS