The high imports have put Kosovo in an unfavorable economic position, with a high trade deficit. This negative trade balance continues to harm the country, given the low level of Kosovo's exports due to the lack of subsidies and policies that are unfavorable to local producers, they point out.
Imports have increased significantly during the first five months of 2025, while the value of export goods has decreased during this period compared to the same months last year.
In addition, Serbian goods have made a strong comeback to the Kosovo market this year, after a decline in recent years. Kosovo has more than doubled its imports of products of Serbian origin in the first five months of this year compared to the same period in 2025.
According to official data from Kosovo Customs, our country imported goods worth 91 million euros from Serbia in the first five months of this year alone, or 49 million euros (116 percent) more than in the same period last year, which was 42 million euros.
The change in security measures from complete restriction to increased control has accelerated the flow of Serbian goods into Kosovo.
Meanwhile, trade relations between Kosovo and Germany are deepening more and more from year to year.
Germany, according to Kosovo Customs data, is Kosovo's first partner in terms of imports in the period January-May, which this year has left Turkey in second place by a small margin.
Kosovo Customs, in a response, announced that the value of Kosovo's exports of goods decreased by 12.7 million euros during the first five months of this year, compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the value of imports increased by approximately 380 million euros from January to May 2025, compared to the corresponding period in 2024.
According to Kosovo Customs data, in the months of January-May 2025, the value of exports from Kosovo is over 356 million euros, while in this period last year it was around 369 million euros. While the difference in these figures exceeds 12 million euros.
On the other hand, the value of imports in the first five months of this year is over 2 billion and 760 million euros, while in January-May 2024, this figure was over 2 billion and 380 million euros.
The reasons for the decline in exports and the increase in imports are assessed differently by economists.
One side emphasizes the influence of politics and the lack of cooperation with the private sector, while the other side attributes these developments to structural weaknesses in the economy, including a weak productive base, lack of innovation, and gaps in the labor market.
The former president of the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce, Safet Gërxhaliu, emphasizes that the main reasons for the decline in exports and the increase in imports are closely related to political intervention in the economy and the lack of cooperation with the private sector.
He estimates that the political agenda in Kosovo is stifling economic development, while the lack of dialogue and public-private partnership is seriously weakening the productive sector.
"It is truly a bitter reality created in Kosovo, where the political agenda is dominating. A political agenda that is stifling economic development and the economy in Kosovo is experiencing various forms of failure, starting from the lack of dialogue and public-private partnership. Starting with an arrogance of power in the face of the private sector... Unfortunately, this chronology or continuity of the decline in Kosovo's exports is being evidenced from year to year, especially in the last three or four years. The very fact that we now have a decrease of minus 12 million euros in exports and we have an enormous increase in imports, best proves the effect of the destruction of the private sector in Kosovo. There is no genuine dialogue, there is only an attempt to paralyze the private sector, there is no motivation to be more creative, more innovative", emphasizes Gërxhaliu.
On the other hand, Program Director at the Riinvest Institute, Visar Vokrri, says that the decline in exports and the high level of trade deficit in Kosovo are mainly related to deep structural challenges in the country's economy.
He emphasizes that one of the main reasons is the weak production base, which according to him limits Kosovo's capacity to export competitively.
"The reasons why we have this high trade deficit, the challenges are of a structural nature. Starting from the production base in Kosovo. Then I believe that the unsatisfactory investments in innovation, research and development in the private sector, gaps in the labor market and other similar factors have made us still not sufficiently competitive in export markets," says Vokrri.
Meanwhile, according to Gërxhaliu, to stop the negative trend in exports, Kosovo needs political stability.
He also emphasizes the need to improve the country's image through active political and economic diplomacy, so that, according to him, economic sanctions can be lifted.
"Kosovo needs political stability. Secondly, Kosovo needs to improve its image through active political and economic diplomacy, so that economic sanctions are lifted or removed. Thirdly, it needs to be more active in promoting investments. We cannot be attractive to foreign investors if we do not do more for the private sector and local producers," emphasizes Gërxhaliu.
Producers in Kosovo have consistently called on the country's institutions to create favorable fiscal policies to increase exports.
Alongside the enormous increase in imports, the trade deficit during January-May 2025 widened to 2.4 billion euros.
In addition, the top three countries that Kosovo received imports from in the months of January-May 2025 are Germany with around 384 million euros, Turkey with 381 million euros, followed by China with over 329 million euros. After these, the other three countries that bring goods to Kosovo are Albania, Italy and North Macedonia.
According to Kosovo Customs statistics sent to KosovaPress, the top six countries that received exports from our country during these months are North Macedonia with over 54 million euros, then Albania with over 52 million euros, followed by Germany and Switzerland. Meanwhile, in fifth place is Montenegro, which in the first five months of this year received goods from Kosovo worth nearly 21 million euros.
In 2024, Kosovo set a historic record for the value of goods imported.
Last year, Kosovo exported goods worth only 889 million euros, while, for the first time, it imported 6.38 billion euros within a year.
In 2023, the value of exports was 819 million euros, imports also 5 billion 878 million euros.
In 2022, exports were 920 million euros, imports 5 billion 639 million euros, in 2021 there were 755 million exports, and imports 4 billion 684 million euros.
In 2020, the value of exports was 474 million euros, while imports were 3 billion and 296 million./Kosovapress
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