Presentation at RIBK’s 10th anniversary event in Pristina

Building upon insights from our advisory work in Kosovo, Felix Schwickert delivered a presentation on the implications of Kosovo’s non-membership in the Green Card System, a pan-European initiative that allows drivers to travel freely between member states without needing additional insurance.

Kosovo remains the only European country which has never been included in the Green Card System. This exclusion poses significant economic challenges, especially in the transport and tourism sectors. Freight carriers face additional costs because they need to purchase extra insurance when driving internationally, putting them at a competitive disadvantage compared to their foreign competitors. Similarly, international tourists are often deterred by the additional paperwork and delays at border crossings when purchasing insurance.

While it is unlikely that Kosovo will join the European Green Card System in the near future, there is potential to mitigate the negative consequences of Green Card non-membership in the short term. To reduce waiting times at the border and save personnel costs, it is crucial to make online purchasing of insurance more attractive. This could be achieved by enabling online insurance purchases at no extra cost and actively promoting this option through targeted outreach campaigns.

After the presentation, Felix Schwickert took part in a panel discussion. Together with his co-panelists from the Central Bank of Kosovo and the insurance sector, he further explored how current challenges relating to non-membership in the Green Card system can be overcome, and the steps policy makers can take towards obtaining membership.

Many thanks to RIBK for hosting the event and to all participants for the valuable exchanges!