Economic experts in Kosovo are strongly demanding the immediate removal of the 10 percent tariff on imports from the United States of America, describing it as an unacceptable action that is seriously harming strategic relations and the country’s economic development.
Calling this tariff “unjustifiable and harmful,” economic experts emphasize that the urgency to remove it is not only economic, but also political and geostrategic.
They harshly criticize local institutions for, as they say, lacking vision and failing to advance economic and diplomatic processes.
They consider the silence of Kosovo’s institutions and the lack of serious engagement to lift this tariff as increasingly isolating the country economically, politically, and geostrategically.
“First, it is a disgrace of our time for Kosovo that a savior state, a strategic ally such as the United States of America, is being penalized with a 10 percent tariff on imports. Second, this proves the institutional immaturity in Kosovo. Third, this shows that diplomacy—especially economic diplomacy—is completely buried in Kosovo. And effective diplomacy cannot be expected—whether in the political or economic sphere—if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is led or burdened by incompetent politicians, who in reality cause far more harm than progress in these processes. There has been merely verbal effort from the Presidency to remove the tariff. However, in reality, nothing has happened. What’s more concerning for Kosovo’s future is the political and economic silence—not only from the U.S. and European countries, but also from some countries in the Western Balkans,” said Gërxhaliu.
In this context, Gërxhaliu expressed concern over the drastic decline in Kosovo’s exports to the U.S., saying this is a direct consequence of the lack of close economic cooperation with that country.
“Kosovo and the sacrifices made for the Republic of Kosovo deserve a different approach. We must be grateful, we must show appreciation—especially toward the United States of America, which stood by us during the most difficult times, and today we enjoy freedom thanks to their military, political, and diplomatic intervention. The impact of this support is evidenced by the fact that, years ago, Kosovo managed to export over 200 million euros to the United States of America. Today, or in 2024, this figure has dropped to a concerning level—around 37 to 38 million euros of ‘Made in Kosovo’ products. All of this obliges us to be more active, more thankful, and this shameful tariff should belong to the past as soon as possible. However, it cannot become a thing of the past if there is a power struggle in Kosovo, if there is no functioning parliament or institutions. All of this is isolating Kosovo rather than helping it—whether for economic prosperity, political progress, or even geostrategic advancement,” said Gërxhaliu.
Another economic expert, Mustafë Kadrijaj, also believes that Kosovo should remove this tariff on the U.S. as soon as possible.
“Kosovo should take a step forward and remove the measure against the U.S., because whether it exists or not, it has no impact at all on the economic relationship with the U.S. Even if we had no tariffs at all with the U.S. and all of our products were exported there, it still wouldn’t keep the U.S. consumption and economy alive even for a few minutes. Knowing our path as Kosovo, I believe that the Government of Kosovo should take a step forward and remove the tariff and measures against the U.S.,” said Kadrijaj.
“KosovaPress has also sent questions regarding this issue to the Office of the Presidency and the Government of Kosovo, but they have not responded by the time this article was published.”
Kosovo’s exports to the United States have declined during the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. According to official data, from January to May 2025, Kosovo exported around €10.04 million worth of goods to the U.S., while during the same period in 2024 the figure was about €23.79 million.
That’s a drop of more than 57.8 percent, or over €13.7 million less in exported goods to the U.S.
Kosovo’s imports from the United States have also decreased in the first five months of this year compared to the same period last year. According to official foreign trade data, from January to May 2025, Kosovo imported goods worth around €322 million from the U.S., whereas in the same period of 2024, this figure was around €356 million. This represents a 9.55 percent drop, or about €34 million fewer goods imported from the U.S. into the Kosovo market. /E.Krasniqi
