Customs scanners expected to be installed at three border crossing points with Serbia will arrive in Kosovo in the first quarter of 2027, later than initially planned.

The scanners, donated by the German Government, were expected to arrive this fall. The German Embassy in Prishtina told Radio Kosova that the delay is due to technical and logistical reasons.

“Due to the technical complexity of the logistics and supply chain involved in this process, the delivery of the scanners is expected to take place during the first quarter of 2027,” the Embassy said.

For the past two years, the Kosovo Government has restricted the import of goods from Serbia through certain border crossing points, with increased controls introduced at Merdare pending the installation of scanning equipment.

Kosovo Customs spokesperson Adriatik Stavileci told Radio Kosova that the deployment of the scanners would significantly strengthen the institution’s technological and operational capacities.

“The use of the scanner that we currently have at the border point in Merdare, a donation from the US, has increased border security and has advanced and accelerated customs procedures, enabling the control to be oriented precisely to high-risk shipments, normally with a positive impact also in facilitating legitimate trade,” Stavileci said.

He said the scanners enable rapid and efficient inspection of cargo.

“Since the scanner was installed in Merdare at the beginning of this year, its use has made several discoveries, starting with a case where we had over 1 million euros hidden, hundreds of kilograms of narcotics and dozens of cases of commercial violations that the scanner has uncovered,” Stavileci added.

The German donation followed requests for Kosovo to lift restrictions on Serbian goods, with concerns raised that the measures were incompatible with the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA). The lifting of restrictions at Merdare contributed to the resumption of CEFTA-related activities.