Serbian entrepreneurs go on strike due to Pristina's tariffs – All stores closed in northern Kosovo

All stores in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo have been closed since this morning, and the reason are the 100% tariffs imposed by the Pristina authorities more than seven months ago on all goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

– The position of entrepreneurs from northern Kosovo is for all stores to close as a gesture of solidarity with the colleagues who supply citizens with food products and who are the most affected by Pristina's tariffs, which prevent us from working normally. We thereby request that they be removed as soon as possible – the president of the Association of the Entrepreneurs of Northern Kosovo, Rados Petrovic, told the press.

According to him, they are waiting for the international community to react, and they believe Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic when he says he will help them overcome this crisis. Petrovic couldn't specify how long the stores will be closed and emphasized that this will depend on how the situation develops.

As he said, bakeries will deliver bread only to hospitals, the Students' Center and kindergartens. Milk and dairy products have been unavailable for days, there's no flour, sugar, oil and bottled goods, and citizens have also stockpiled foods that they perhaps didn't need to.

There were also crowds at the petrol stations whose owners have announced that they will join other entrepreneurs in protest.

People from Kosovska Mitrovica, who often got their supplies at the Bosnjacka Mahala neighborhood or in south Mitrovica, have not been doing so for several days now.

In all four municipalities in northern Kosovo, stores, supermarkets and wholesale markets, hospitality facilities, storage facilities, hardware stores, bakeries, pharmacies, hair salons and car repair shops are closed.

Ljajic: Daily damage due to tariffs EUR 1.1 million

The minister of trade, tourism and telecommunications of Serbia, Rasim Ljajic, says that the damage due to the tariffs is around EUR 1.1 million on a daily level, and that, since November, EUR 228 million worth of goods less has been exported from central Serbia to K&M than in the same period last year.

He reminds that the tariffs do not only damage the Serbian economy, but the Albanian economy as well, because 65% of the secondary materials for producers in Kosovo used to come from central Serbia.

Association of the Entrepreneurs of Northern Kosovo

Radoš Petrović

Pristina tariffs on goods from Serbia

tariffs on goods from Serbia

closing of stores in northern Kosovo

workers strike in northern Kosovo

strike of Serbian entrepreneurs in northern Kosovo