The Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Rozeta Hajdari participated today in the EFTA Ministerial meeting in Borgarnes, Iceland. She presented the launch of Negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Kosovo and the EFTA countries.
In this important event present were Mrs. Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörd GYLFADÓTTIR- Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iceland), Mrs. Dominique HASLER-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sports (Liechtenstein), Mrs. Marie-Gabrielle INEICHEN-FLEISCH – Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Switzerland), Mrs. Janicke ANDREASSEN – Secretary of State of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries (Norway) and Mr. Henri GÉTAZ – Secretary General of EFTA (Switzerland).
Minister Hajdari stressed that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, under the leadership of Prime Minister Albin Kurti, is committed to working based on the principles of good governance, in creating a business environment that will make the Republic of Kosovo a more competitive destination in Southeast Europe.
In this context, Minister Hajdari presented the performance indicators of the Republic of Kosovo, where economic growth, an increase in indicators of democracy, freedom of expression, and efforts to strengthen the rule of law with the aim of ensuring a brighter future for our society, our youth, has been marked as never before.
"The finalization of this Agreement, as soon as it is possible, is of great importance for Kosovo, as trade exchanges with EFTA countries, especially with Switzerland and Norway, are constantly increasing and have a significant positive trade balance for goods and services ” Minister Hajdari added.
Minister Hajdari stated that apart from its economic importance, the signing of this agreement is vital for Kosovo in the political aspect, for potential trading partners and foreign investors in the future. She said that this agreement with the EFTA countries enables the opening of the Kosovar economy towards new development opportunities.
"I look forward to our future partnership, especially given the fact that we have a very strong diaspora in most of the EFTA countries. 70% of the population is under the age of 35 and therefore our work and commitment as a government is to ensure that there is progress for the better future of our people, and our youth and that the remittances of our diaspora are turned into concrete investments in the Republic of Kosovo” Minister Rozeta Hajdari concluded.
The first round of negotiations is expected to start at the end of August 2022. The Free Trade Agreement covers a variety of areas in which the parties will seek greater cooperation, as well as trade issues such as trade in goods and services, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade facilitation, rules of origin, including customs cooperation and intellectual property rights.
EFTA countries and Kosovo will also seek to expand cooperation in areas of particular interest in order to expand their trade relations, such as the flow of investment, including the transfer of technology, competition law and policy, public procurement, trade, and sustainable development, as well as other trade-related issues and policies, including trade in services.