The installation of a modern X-ray scanner at the Merdare administrative crossing could bring some relief to trade flows between Kosovo and Serbia, but only if it genuinely leads to faster customs procedures, said Miodrag Marinković, director of the NGO CASA from northern Kosovo, commenting on the inauguration of the scanner donated by the United States government.
“If the installation of the scanner truly accelerates the flow of goods, that would be a positive step, because slow and inefficient customs procedures have become one of the main problems in trade between Serbia and Kosovo. In a situation where only one crossing point is open for imports, such delays have turned into a serious limitation for placing Serbian goods on the Kosovo market and for the normal functioning of supply chains,” Marinković told KoSSev.
Kosovo Customs officially put the American-made Rapiscan X-ray scanner into operation on Thursday. The equipment, worth around $3 million, was donated by the U.S. government. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Kosovo’s minister of finance, the minister of internal affairs, the deputy director general of the Kosovo Police, a representative of the U.S. Embassy, Kosovo Customs Director General Agron Llugaliu, as well as senior customs and police officials.
Kosovo Customs said the donation significantly strengthens the operational capacities of customs and police structures in the areas of risk management and border security, particularly in the sensitive security context of the region. According to the statement, the new equipment enables more effective detection of illegal goods and activities, while at the same time ensuring safer and smoother legal trade.
The U.S. Embassy in Pristina stressed that combating illegal trade and preventing the spread of counterfeit goods strengthen both the American and Kosovo economies. “That is why the United States is proud to bolster Kosovo’s border security through a $3 million American-made Rapiscan scanner. The technology enhances detection, supports legitimate trade, and advances shared security and economic interests,” the embassy said.
Kosovo’s caretaker interior minister, Xhelal Sveçla, said the new scanner would contribute to strengthening the fight against the smuggling of goods, weapons, narcotics, and people, describing the U.S. donation as further proof of “a strong partnership and shared commitment to enhancing security and border protection.”
The strengthening of capacities at the Merdare crossing was also discussed at a meeting between the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo (AmCham) and Kosovo Customs Director General Agron Llugaliu. On that occasion, Llugaliu presented the 2026 work plan and said that all key performance indicators in 2025 showed improvements compared to previous years, including better services and an increased number of customs officers.
Llugaliu emphasized that the activation of the scanner at Merdare is part of a broader trade facilitation strategy, announcing that additional equipment is expected to be put into operation during the year. He also highlighted the expansion of the customs terminal at the Vrbnica crossing as one of the most important infrastructure projects, given that the largest share of Kosovo’s goods traffic passes through that route.
Marinković: Blocking the Northern Development Fund
However, Marinković warned that technical improvements at a single crossing do not resolve the core problem. “There has been no announcement by the Kosovo government about opening other crossings for the flow of goods from Serbia, although such an arrangement was part of a broader agreed framework within CEFTA. As a result, a temporary technical solution at one crossing is turning into a permanent political choice,” he said.
According to him, the issue of goods traffic has direct development consequences for the Serbian community in Kosovo. He recalled that in 2013, within the EU-mediated Brussels dialogue, an agreement was reached under which part of the customs revenues collected at certain crossings would be directed into a special Northern Development Fund, intended for the economic and infrastructure development of four Serb-majority municipalities.
That arrangement, he stressed, presupposes normal and stable trade flows, and any delay in its full implementation directly reduces the funds allocated to those municipalities.
“In that context, the decision to install the first scanner at Merdare, while at the same time there are no plans to open other crossings, is not a technical but a political issue. It fits into the existing pattern of actions by the current authorities, in which solutions are systematically shaped without taking into account the interests of the Serbian community,” Marinković said, adding that such an approach increasingly resembles long-term administrative and institutional pressure rather than a temporary measure.
From Customs to Merdare – Without Jarinje
Additional equipment for Merdare had been announced earlier through German support as well. The German Embassy previously confirmed that two large X-ray scanners promised to Kosovo would be installed no earlier than 2026, due to the complex procurement, production, and installation process. The project is being implemented in cooperation with GIZ, Kosovo government institutions, the European Union, and other international partners. GIZ launched a tender for the procurement of two mobile scanners on August 19 last year, with the deadline extended several times.
At Merdare, currently the only crossing open for the import of goods from Serbia, Serbian products are arriving in significantly smaller quantities than in previous years, and under slower and more difficult conditions. This situation emerged in 2023, when the government of Albin Kurti banned the import of Serbian goods following the arrest of three Kosovo police officers by Serbian forces. The “security measure” was later modified to allow the import of raw materials and semi-finished products needed for final production—items Kosovo lacked—while maintaining restrictive measures on goods predominantly consumed by the Serbian population.
Under pressure from international partners, primarily Germany and the EU, Kosovo eased the measures in October 2024. Germany at the time warned that Kosovo could be excluded from the CEFTA summit on October 14 if it did not lift the ban on Serbian goods.
With a new decision issued just ahead of the summit by Interior Minister Sveçla, the ban was replaced by “detailed controls” on goods entering from Serbia, but only at Merdare, while the ban at other crossings remained in force. Germany also pledged to provide scanners, which have yet to be delivered.
From Overturned Trucks to Tariffs
Problems related to the flow of Serbian goods into Kosovo, however, have a longer history. Eight years ago, the government of Ramush Haradinaj introduced a 100% tax on Serbian imports, effectively halting trade for nearly three years. The Self-Determination Movement later continued a similar policy, framing it within a broader “reciprocity policy.”
Even while in opposition, Self-Determination strongly advocated a boycott of Serbian goods, organizing actions ranging from protests and the overturning of trucks carrying Serbian products to the promotion of controversial videos calling for boycotts.
Last spring, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue Peter Sorensen visited administrative crossings in northern Kosovo during his first official visit and said that “much has been done,” but stressed that more efforts were needed to enable the free movement of goods, which he described as key to European Union integration.
Kosovo’s total imports in 2025 amounted to around €7 billion, while imports from Serbia stood at approximately €234 million, or 3.3% of total imports—down from previous years when Serbia was a much more significant trade partner.
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