The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Faton Thaçi, took part at a roundtable meeting on the “Promotion of standards for local products and implementation of SAA”, organized from the Institute for Development Policy (INDEP). He pointed out that the manufactures are meting criteria and are applying standards as ISO and HASAP, which make their products safe, while to consumers and exported countries provides quality assurance.
In order to improve exports the agriculture and food companies’ mast be encouraged to apply quality assurance and system (HACCAP). To support this process is needed a platform that would support quality system, such as: ISO 9001, ISO 22000, HACCP, GlobalGAP, IFC, BRC and other.
Standards are referred to defined procedures, methods, dimensions, permits, characteristics, capacities, etc., on the product specifics. In this context, certification of a product is referred to adaptation of requirements compared to a set of standards.
An achievement could be considered the endorsement of the agreement made between the Kosovo Standardization Agency (KSA) and CEN and CENELEC, which eliminates barriers to standard supply. With this agreement to the KSA is created the possibility to supply the latest standards from the European Committee of CEN Standards.
Having in mind that Kosovo political orientation is to join the EU, the economic standards is one of the precondition to be met in order to become a member. KSA is obliged to adapt 80 percent of EN standards, and so far more than 50 percent are being adapted.
Meanwhile, Director of Kosovo Standardization Agency (AKS), Hafiz Gara, said that the role and importance of standards is to create a quality infrastructure for local products. The purpose is public health protection and safety and stimulate economic development and become competitive the countries of the region and the European Union.
At the end of the meeting, Deputy Minister Thaçi said that the Cabinet of Minister Hasani, with a new and dynamic approach, is paying high importance and high priority to law enforcement in the most vital areas of market regulation according to the legal requirements that so far have not been implemented, particularly in the implementation of standards in the field of construction.
"For us as a cabinet it is vital and with priority that any kind of services provided from businesses to be of high quality and consumers became satisfied, since at the end of the day all citizens are consumers,” said Thaçi.
