The Reporters Without Borders media watchdog warned that the tariffs that the Kosovo government has imposed on goods from Serbia have become an obstacle to the distribution of the Serbian-language press.

“Financial measures may also prove to be powerful censorship tools, as in Kosovo, where an increase in import duty sufficed to eliminate the Serbian-language print media,” the organization said in a report titled Newspapers That Never Arrive.  

“Borders may become impassable barriers for some publications if governments so decide,” Reporters Without Borders warned, recalling that “Kosovo eliminated its Serbian press in one fell swoop in November 2018 by suddenly increasing the import duty on all Serbian products, including newspapers, by 100%. The measure was a reprisal for neighbouring Serbia’s determined and ultimately successful efforts to prevent Kosovo from joining Interpol.  

“The impact on the availability of Serbian print media in Kosovo was immediate. No Serbian-language newspapers and magazines are printed in Kosovo and within a week no imported publications were available at Kosovar newsstands. This means that northern Kosovo’s Serb community have been deprived of news and information in their own language since November 2018, a situation that violates international law,” the report said.  

The KoSSev Serbian-language news portal recalled that there was not Serbian press in Kosovo for five months after the tariffs were imposed until the KIM Beokolp company reached agreement with publishers to lower prices allowing the distributor to afford to pay the 100 percent tariff.