Serbia to introduce countermeasures against Macedonia

Serbia will on Wednesday introduce countermeasures against Macedonia for putting obstacles on flour imports.

"We can wait no longer," Serbian Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic told the daily Danas. "Other than buying time, we have seen no readiness at all on their part to solve the problem."

Ljajic recalled that he was ready to travel to Skopje on March 2, as well as on March 5, in order to solve the issue that concerns the non-tariff barrier introduced by Macedonia with the country's representatives.

However, the minister added that he would not make the trip until he hears "a concrete proposal that can be discussed."

Beta agency said in its report that the authorities in Skopje two weeks ago decided that flour can be imported from Serbia only along with excise stamps issued in Macedonia, after phytosanitary checks. Serbian exporters say this procedure can take up to a month, and that they stand to lose about EUR 200,000 per month in this way.

This is the 13th time in the last seven years that the two countries have clashed over flour. Serbia exports between 40 and 50 thousand tons to Macedonia each year.