Western Balkan States Urge Zagreb to Cancel New Agricultural Import Restrictions

The trade ministers of the four Western Balkan nations demanded the Croatian authorities to abandon its new tax rates on imports of fruit and vegetables, Bosnian media reported Monday.

BELGRADE (Sputnik) — In July, the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture increased the phytosanitary control fee for fruit and vegetables imported to the country from non-EU states from nearly 12 euros to 270 euros ($14 to $318 at the current exchange rates), thus imposing a significant financial toll on the neighboring nations. In addition, the list of agricultural products eligible for the inspection has been extended.

According to the Dnevni avaz news outlet, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Trade Minister Mirko Sarovic, Montenegro's Economy Minister Dragica Sekulic, Macedonia's Agriculture Minister Ljupco Nikolovski and Serbia’s Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic met in Sarajevo, where they came up with a joint response to Croatia's new agricultural import policy, which the neighboring states perceived as discriminatory.

The news outlet added that the ministers signed a joint letter expected to be sent to the European Commission and called for cancellation of Zagreb's move.

The participants of the meeting in Sarajevo also warned Croatia that they could work out their own retaliatory measures against Zagreb if the problem was not resolved within forthcoming weeks, the media outlet outlined.