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“Stone Castle” vinery from Rahovec is one of the companies that has suffered huge losses from the non-implementation of CEFTA agreement and the end of trade preferences by the EU.
One official from the company said the company’s business has worsened since 2008 when Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina blocked Kosovo products.
According to him, the “Stone Castle” vinery had produced up to 12 million litres of wine and only in Serbia and Bosnia used to export up to 3 million litres. He said the company has lost buyers not only in Serbia and Bosnia but in other European countries too. The losses are said to have occurred because Kosovo products were not allowed to pass through these countries.
“We have used alternative roads, Macedonia and Montenegro, but there is no other road left for our company. It is more rational to use the road that goes through Serbia to EU countries. We have a market in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia and other countries but everywhere we have a 30 percent increase of costs,” he said.
EU trade preferences for Kosovo expired at the end of last year and the renewal is still far away.
ECIKS / Zëri