The Executive Director of SHPDK participated in the conference organized by Kosovo Customs regarding reforms in trade facilitation

The Executive Director of SHPDK participated in the conference organized by Kosovo Customs regarding reforms in trade facilitation.

Mrs. Arieta emphasized the proposal regarding the subsidy of manufacturing firms that export.

Customs holds a conference with the business community
Prishtina, January 29, 2024 Customs today organized a joint conference with the business community, with the aim of revealing the achievements in the creation of commercial facilities. This conference was organized by the Kosovo Customs, where Mr. Hekuran Murati, Minister of MFPT, Agron Llugaliu, General Director of Customs, Mr. Zef Dedaj U.D. General Director of KIESA. Business representatives also participated in the conference.
At the opening of the conference, the minister Mr. Murati emphasizes "Some of the steps that have been taken in recent years are the return of Customs terminals to state operation, so as to reduce financial costs, full customs clearance has begun in the port of Durrës, which also reduces the cost of business operation. Until with the help of the World Bank last year we approved the establishment of the 'single trade window', which will be a platform where all traders, all businesses dealing with trade, will be enabled to perform all services in digitally in short time. In order to support local producers, in October of last year we approved the release of some of the raw materials as well as spare parts of machines so that the producers add value to our country. I must emphasize that the Law on VAT is also in the process of being updated, we already have working groups and we are working to have a new law by the end of this year which will take into account the demands, needs, adaptation to trends, but also support for local businesses and producers. Also, Kosovo Customs has initiated over 1,800 misdemeanors and 93 criminal reports, which were aimed at protecting traders"
On the other hand Mr. Agron Llugaliu, the General Director of Customs, revealed some of the achievements that Customs has had in creating trade facilities, while emphasizing that these achievements would be impossible without the cooperation with partners from the private sector as well as without the dedication of our staff. The global trade system after the pandemic has undergone changes that have influenced the shaping of policies and processes of how different countries control foreign trade.
"Regarding the revenues, we managed to double the economic growth last year, contributing to the formality of the business, so this part is related to the facilities because they strengthen the formal business, while the formal business strengthens the state by contributing to the revenues. As for last year's export, we noticed that we had an increase in quantity by 3%, while in value it is observed that there is a decrease, but this decrease is mainly attributed to the decrease in the value of products in export, as well as because Global markets have been volatile over the past few years. We have had some declines in international market demand which are not usual trends. As far as facilities are concerned, always in cooperation with the Minister, we have worked hard on risk management, orientation of the organization on results, advancement of systems and accountability for our staff. Customs has managed to complete the processing of 95% of export shipments in 0-30 minutes per shipment, while in import we have managed to maintain this time in 65% of shipments even though the number of shipments has marked a significant increase.
The beginning of customs clearance at the port of Durres has also been successful as we have had an increase in the number of shipments through the port of Durres by over 50%, while the impact on businesses has resulted in:

• saving time and money – about 9 million euros on an annual basis

• opportunities for better joint controls with the Albanian authorities

• elimination of double animal and veterinary procedures

Customs is working on the Single window project, while at the moment we are defining the modalities related to this guide, which would help in applying with a single window for every procedure related to import/ export, thus speeding up processing time as well as improving surveillance and managing quotas. Until the new Customs Code has passed the first reading in the assembly, this code, which foresees acceleration of procedures, advanced procedural facilities, expansion of authorizations for facilities, as well as for OAE, enables mutual recognition with other countries. On the other hand, customs is advancing capacities through the improvement/reform of work processes as well as the recruitment and training of new staff. The last part of the conference was closed with discussions and suggestions from the business community.