EFTA and the Republic of Kosovo sign Free Trade Agreement

On 22 January 2025, the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the Republic of Kosovo was signed on the margins of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, in a ceremony hosted by Switzerland.

The FTA was signed on behalf of the EFTA States by Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iceland; Dominique Hasler, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport of Liechtenstein; Cecilie Myrseth, Minister of Trade and Industry of Norway; and Guy Parmelin, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research of Switzerland; and for the Republic of Kosovo by Rozeta Hajdari, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade.

Negotiations were launched in 2022, with four rounds held in total. The EFTA-Kosovo FTA covers trade in goods, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, trade in services, intellectual property rights, trade facilitation, trade remedies, competition, trade and sustainable development, and legal and horizontal provisions.

The signing of this agreement represents an important milestone in the economic ties between the EFTA States and the Republic of Kosovo. It is anticipated to bring mutual benefits for economic operators and further facilitate trade in goods and services, providing a solid foundation for a closer and more dynamic partnership in the years ahead.

Trade in goods between the EFTA States and the Republic of Kosovo has grown rapidly since 2008, reaching more than 176 million euros in 2023. EFTA's main exports to Kosovo in 2023 were vehicles, pharmaceutical products, machinery and tobacco. In the same year, Kosovo exports to EFTA States consisted mainly of furniture, plastics, articles of iron and steel, and wood and wood products.

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