Joint Press Release of the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET) and Kosovo Customs (KC)
Prishtinë,
14/03/2025
Today, to facilitate trade, prevent monopolization and avoid the high costs of laboratory testing for quality control in the domestic market, the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET) and Kosovo Customs have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This MoU guarantees that laboratory tests will be carried out without any financial burden on the MIET budget or businesses, ensuring transparency and integrity in this process and improving quality control standards.
Since the decision of the Minister of MIET, Rozeta Hajdari, Kosovo Customs has taken over the laboratory testing to ensure the conformity of petroleum products imported into Kosovo. By switching from private to state laboratories, we have saved the Kosovo economy and citizens from unnecessary costs of EUR 1.1 million.
Furthermore, as of November 2021, we have started quality control for motor and hydraulic oils for the first time. Since then, the Kosovo Customs laboratory has tested 910 oil samples, of which 78 did not meet the standards and were banned from entering the market.
We also audited four private operators licensed to blend fuels and heating oils. Following the inspections, Kosovo Customs found that the operators were not complying with the supervision measures, and MIET decided to revoke their licenses. As a result, based on market demands and increased supervision, we have prevented tax evasion that could potentially occur through these operators, saving the Kosovo budget by approximately EUR 3.5 million per year.
By further strengthening the state laboratory, we have laid the foundations for expanding its capacities, ensuring an independent and reliable testing system that serves the needs of the market and the citizens of Kosovo, increasing product quality, consumer protection and economic efficiency.