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| Port of Durrës |
In the port of Durrës, since October 1, the customs clearance of goods destined for Kosovo has started. Customs clearance of goods in the ports of Durrës enables the economy of Kosovo to practically have access to the sea, thus facilitating the penetration of local businesses in international markets.
The Minister of Finance and Economy Delina Ibrahimaj and her Kosovo counterpart Hekuran Murati, accompanied by the Customs Directors of both countries, visited the Kosovo Customs offices in the port of Durrës today.
The visit was made on the occasion of the beginning of full customs clearance at the ports of Durrës for goods destined for the Republic of Kosovo.
Customs clearance of goods in the ports of Durrës enables the economy of Kosovo to practically have access to the sea, thus facilitating the penetration of local businesses in international markets.
Minister Ibrahimaj considered this as a procedure that facilitates business and reduces bureaucracy since, since the first customs clearance of goods began, about 70% of the declarations have been processed at the Kosovo Customs office, which indicates the interest of businesses to carry out the procedures customs clearance at the port of Durrës.
"Today is an important day when it finally becomes operational and works for all customs clearance businesses in the port of Durrës. There are about 1,040 Kosovo companies that use the port of Durrës and these capacities every year to clear their goods and from today they will not only have the facilities that the two governments have agreed on with each other, but in terms of issues weighing or weighting, or even removing the fees that the Albanian government has undertaken for Kosovo businesses, but from the administrative and bureaucratic side, there is a much greater facility, which will not only reduce the time and costs of customs clearance, said Minister Ibrahimaj.
For his part, the Minister of Finance, Labor, and Transfers of Kosovo, Hekuran Murati, said that the opening of the Customs Office in the port of Durrës is an extraordinary achievement for the economy of Kosovo, it saves time and costs for business and saves about 2 million euro to businesses that trade through the port of Durrës.
"Considering the time that is saved but also the cost that reaches somewhere at around 2 million euros for businesses that trade, we consider this to be an extraordinary achievement. The establishment of phytosanitary and veterinary control through the Kosovo and Veterinary Agency, which is located here together with the Kosovo Customs, adds value to this process.
Murati said that this gives Kosovo access to the sea and facilitates access to global markets for export, which is in a trend of continuous growth.
"Operation with minimum payments and costs in the terminal that we have already opened in Mitrovica, in the Trepça area, but also in the one in Podujevë, as well as avoiding fees for entering other terminals for goods coming through the Port of Durrës, businesses are the requirement to remove unnecessary expenses in doing business is implemented."
Minister Ibrahimaj, for her part, said that the customs clearance of goods destined for Kosovo at the port of Durrës is just the next step in our commercial relations, emphasizing once again the commitment of the Albanian Government to the deepening of interstate cooperation.
The Customs of Kosovo has been located in the port of Durres since 2019, but until now only the registration of entries has been made for the goods destined for the Republic of Kosovo, without having any impact on reducing the cost or time for businesses and consumers.