Kurti: Gap between imports and exports continues to challenge Kosovo’s economy

At the ceremony where a cooperation agreement was signed to develop eco-industrial parks in Kosovo, Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the trade deficit as one of the main challenges facing the country’s economy.

Kurti stressed that, despite economic growth, the gap between imports and exports remains substantial. He said that in 2025 Kosovo imported goods worth seven billion euros, compared with around one billion euros in exports. According to him, even in 2026, growth in exports has not changed the fact that the trade gap remains large.

Discussing economic performance in recent years, the prime minister said that gross domestic product has increased by an average of approximately one billion euros a year. Previously, he said, an increase of that size took three years.

He added that more than 85,000 new jobs have been created over the past five years, exports of services have nearly tripled, and foreign direct investment has exceeded one billion euros for the first time.

Kurti said the aim is to produce in Kosovo as many as possible of the goods currently purchased from abroad. He described industrial parks as one mechanism that could help achieve this goal by providing local companies with space and infrastructure to expand their production capacity.

In addition to supporting local businesses, the prime minister said, these parks offer more favorable conditions for foreign investors seeking to move part of their production operations to Kosovo.

He also emphasized that a circular and competitive economy is the first pillar of the government’s program. For this reason, he described the launch of the eco-industrial parks project as fully aligned with the government’s strategic direction and directly linked to the development of industry and the economy of the Republic of Kosovo in the years ahead.