February 13 (SeeNews) - The American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo (AmCham) said on Tuesday Kosovo is not benefiting enough from the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA).
Despite the benefits that the CEFTA has brought to Kosovo ensuring its integration into the regional market, the economic benefits from this agreement have been small, given the many challenges faced by local producers over the years, AmCham said in a press release, after a meeting of its representatives with Kosovo government officials and producers.
Kosovo’s representation in the CEFTA under the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which prevented the establishment of the necessary protection measures for domestic producers, and the weak fiscal policies followed by the government have resulted in little benefits for Kosovo, Visar Hapciu, policy manager at AmCham, said.
CEFTA is a trade agreement between non-EU countries, members of which are now mostly located in Southeast Europe (SEE) such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and UNMIK on behalf of Kosovo.
Kosovo is member of CEFTA since 2007.