The Serbian government has sent a note to the Croatian government and the European Commission over Zagreb’s decision to drastically change customs rules by introducing non-customs barriers on imports of agricultural products from Serbia and other non-EU countries, Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said in Podgorica on August 2, Tanjug reported.

Croatia announced the previous day that it had expanded the list of fruit and vegetables coming from third countries, including its neighbours Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina which are still not EU members, that will have to pass through phytosanitary checks at the border. Under the new Croatian rules, taxes are 22 times higher now for these products. 

While Serbia and Bosnia have complained and called for the measures to be scrapped, Zagreb claims they are the only way to protect Croatian farmers, since the same rules can’t be applied to imports from EU members.

Brnabic also said that her cabinet is talking to other countries affected by the decision so that they can act jointly on the issue, Tanjug reported.

On August 2, Brnabic repeated that by introducing non-customs barriers for Serbian products, Croatia is drastically violating the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA). This was previously said by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic.

“I wouldn’t talk about that what would be if the Commission doesn’t find a solution. This is a clear breach of the SAA. I do believe that we will find a joint solution even before the EC reacts,” Brnabic said, according to the government’s statement.

She added that she has asked for the Croatian minister of agriculture to talk to agriculture ministers from regional countries affected by the move.