New EU trade rules shake Kosovo

From April 1 of this year, all businesses that want to export goods to the European Union or transit through the EU must make an entry summary declaration (ENS) of the goods in advance, otherwise their trade will be impossible.

Kosovo Customs says that the main burden of the summary declaration falls on the carrier, while emphasizing that according to customs legislation, this declaration can also be made by the importer, exporter or company representatives, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

The Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) indicates that the new EU rules have caused uncertainty for some businesses.

Meanwhile, the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce emphasizes that this decision will not be a challenge for businesses in terms of finances, but will be an increased commitment.

The Head of Risk Analysis at Kosovo Customs, Visar Zakuti, in a statement for KosovaPress, says that in January of this year they were notified by the European Commission about these new rules. Zakuti indicates that Kosovo Customs has notified the transport business community, as well as customs agents, regarding these new measures.

Zakuti announced that in order to complete the Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) in the customs system of EU member states, economic operators must be registered in one of the EU member states and be provided with an Economic Operator Identification and Registration Number (EORI Number).

He indicates that this number is necessary to identify businesses in all customs procedures within the territory of the European Union.

The executive director of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), Kushtrim Ahmeti, says that despite the fact that these measures have caused stress to businesses, they are beneficial to them because they make them more serious towards European institutions.

Ahmeti indicates that the biggest uncertainties for businesses in this regard are regarding who should declare the goods.

Meanwhile, the president of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce (KKC), Lulzim Rafuna, says that these measures do not harm businesses, but rather facilitate the circulation of goods.

Rafuna is optimistic that this will facilitate the passage of goods and reduce waiting times at EU borders, thus reducing costs for exporting companies. He emphasizes that the request addressed to the European Commission aims to improve the situation for barges leaving the Western Balkans.

KosovaPress has attempted to obtain more details about these rules from EU spokespersons for Foreign and Security Policy, but by the time of publication of the article there had been no response.

The Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) is an electronic document that is presented to the customs authorities of the European Union before goods arrive in the EU territory.

The purpose of this declaration is to identify risks before goods arrive in the EU, prevent smuggling and trafficking of illegal goods, ensure compliance with EU regulations, increase supply chain security and facilitate international trade.

The declaration time varies by type of transport. For road and rail transport, goods are required to be declared at least one hour before arrival in the territory of the European Union. Whereas, for sea transport to long destinations, declarations must be made 24 hours in advance. Meanwhile, for air transport it is 4 hours for longer distances.