VTKBiH demands reaction from BiH institutions over quotas on iron and steel exports to Serbia: They are holding our trucks at the border

(Patria) - The Foreign Trade Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina is demanding an urgent reaction from the competent institutions following information that the Government of Serbia adopted a Decree on the introduction of a temporary measure to ensure the economic stability of industries of strategic importance, which from January 1 to June 30, 2026, restricts the import of certain iron and steel products (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, number 120/2025).

The Decree covers groups of products relevant to BiH, namely: ribbed concrete steel and hot-rolled wire rod in coils, as well as ribbed concrete steel in bars. The measure is introduced for a period of six months and will be implemented through a system of tariff quotas, after which a 50 percent customs duty will be applied to the import of these products. To ensure a balanced supply of the market, individual quotas are divided into quarterly maximums for the period from January 1 to March 31, and from April 1 to June 30, 2026, with the possibility of transferring unused quota from the first to the second quarter. The allocation of quotas will be carried out on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the order of acceptance of customs declarations, the Foreign Trade Chamber of BiH stated.

- The quotas introduced by the Government of Serbia do not follow real trade flows, as they were, as stated in the decree, based on data for the period 2020-2024. Upon reviewing the said decree, especially the part defining quotas for the mentioned products for BiH, we express concern on behalf of business entities, i.e., exporters of these products to Serbia. Namely, based on VTKBiH data, it is evident that in 2025, already in the first quarter, BiH exports exceeded the permitted quarterly quota.

It is evident that when determining the quotas, the following parameters were not fully taken into account: the cumulative volume of actual trade flows, regional distribution models, and the real market share of producers and suppliers from BiH - they pointed out.

Furthermore, they add, the adoption of a decree that restricts the smooth duty-free placement of goods within CEFTA countries at the very end of a business year represents a limiting factor for long-term contracts that companies from BiH have with companies on the Serbian market.

- We particularly point out the holding of trucks at border crossings, which has already occurred in practice and currently represents the most critical problem for exporters from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Namely, we have been informed by our exporters that, in addition to the problem with quotas, already in the first days of 2026, exporters are facing longer delays at the border caused by additional procedures for monitoring quotas by the customs authorities of Serbia.

The consequences of the delays are already measurable and serious: direct and growing financial costs (truck downtime, penalties, additional transport costs), delays in deliveries to contracted buyers in Serbia, disruptions in production and construction supply chains, and serious damage to the reputation of suppliers from Bosnia and Herzegovina as reliable and predictable partners - they stated and added:

- Taking all the above into account, VTKBiH requests the competent institutions in BiH to urgently react towards the competent institutions of Serbia and CEFTA structures due to the economic repercussions of the effects of the said Decree on the free, duty-free flow of goods within CEFTA countries.