Kosovo’s Businesses Discuss CBAM Implications and Preparedness for the EU Market

04. November 2026

How could the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) affect the competitiveness of Kosovo’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)? What challenges do businesses anticipate, and what support will they need to adapt? 
These questions guided a stakeholder roundtable organised by GPEK on 2 November 2026 in Prishtina to discuss preliminary findings from an ongoing assessment conducted by Berlin Economics for GPEK: “Assessment of the market and
competitiveness impact of EU CBAM on Kosovo’s SMEs.” 
The meeting provided an opportunity to discus the preliminary findings with businesses and other stakeholders, gather feedback based on practical experience and identify issues requiring further analysis.


Bringing business and technical perspectives into the assessment

The roundtable brought together SME owners and representatives, chambers of commerce and technical service providers working on emissions measurement, reporting and verification.
Participants shared perspectives on business operations, export requirements, preparedness for CBAM and the practical challenges of collecting and reporting emissions data. 
Their contributions will inform the ongoing assessment, helping ensure that its findings and recommendations reflect the realities and needs of Kosovo’s businesses.  


Topics and preliminary findings discussed

Berlin Economics presented preliminary findings, followed by discussions covering:

  • Sector and value-chain exposure: Where Kosovo’s SMEs may face direct or indirect exposure to CBAM, including through EU supply chains and buyer requirements.
  • Costs, competitiveness and market access: Potential implications for production costs, business operations and participation in EU markets. 
  • Emissions data and reporting: Challenges in collecting production data, calculating emissions and establishing reliable reporting processes.
  • SME preparedness and technical capacity: Businesses’ readiness to respond to emerging requirements and the expertise needed to support adaptation. 
  • Advisory services, finance and institutional support: Potential measures to help businesses address CBAM-related challenges.
  • Emerging opportunities and policy responses: Areas for further analysis and potential actions to strengthen business competitiveness. 

The discussions helped connect the preliminary findings with the practical realities facing businesses and provided additional perspectives for the next stage of the assessment.
For participating businesses, the discussion highlighted the operational changes that preparing for CBAM-related requirements may involve.

As Amir Musliu, General Manager at Elsam , explained:

“This discussion was useful in helping us better understand the scale of the changes that companies in Kosovo need to make to remain competitive in the EU market. Preparing emissions data for CBAM means changing how we record production, classify products and calculate emissions. This is a challenge for businesses in Kosovo and will require considerable time, skills and human resources. Nevertheless, I see it as a necessary investment in the future of our exports. I am grateful for this discussion and the research presented by Berlin Economics, which have helped clarify the challenges and next steps. The more SMEs in Kosovo understand what lies ahead, the sooner we can begin this transition and build a stronger future in the EU market.” Amir Musliu, General Manager at Elsam.

 

Informing practical support for Kosovo’s SMEs

Feedback from the roundtable will inform the ongoing assessment by Berlin Economics, including the identification of sectors and businesses most exposed to CBAM-related requirements and potential measures to support their preparedness and
competitiveness. The assessment will also inform the development of practical CBAM information products and capacity-building activities to help Kosovo’s businesses better understand emerging requirements and prepare for their implications.
Through this work, GPEK aims to strengthen businesses’ access to relevant information and support evidence-based dialogue on the measures needed to maintain and improve Kosovo SMEs’ competitiveness in the EU market.
GPEK is a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), co-funded by Sweden and implemented by Helvetas.