Serbia, EU conclude technical SAA round

Serbia, EU conclude technical SAA round

“It is realistic to expect the initialing of the SAA to take place this October,” the deputy prime minister said, and added Serbia could become an EU member “between 2012 and 2014.”

He added that the last round was scheduled for September 10 in Brussels.

During the two-day negotiations, Serbian and the European Union’s representatives focused on defining protective measures for trade between Serbia and the EU, discussed state monopolies, public enterprises and electronic communications.

Accomplishing free trade in agricultural goods represented the most complex aspect of the technical negotiations.

The goal is to empower the Serbian agriculture and integrate it into the joint agricultural policy of 27 EU member states, seen as the most intricate EU system.

Former Agriculture Minister Ivana Dulić-Marković told B92 that the liberalization of the market would be beneficial for enhancing competitiveness in Serbia.

“We have six years to adjust to the situation, and for that to happen we have to speed up structural reforms,” she said.

“The liberalization in agriculture is good since every product is actually an input to the next in the production chain."

"That is why we must not have high custom tax for imported wheat seeds, while there's only one domestic seeds producer,” Dulić-Marković added.

Đelić expects progress in EU talks

Yesterday, at the start of negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić said he believed that "significant progress will be made" in SAA talks.

"There is political will on our side, and we expect the European Commission to be our ally in achieving the goal," stated Đelić, who is also the leader of the negotiating team for association with the EU.

The Head of the Serbian Department in the European Commission Enlargement Directorate General Therese Sobieski expressed the expectation that "the negotiations will be efficient, and that the results will lead to the conclusion of negotiations on the Agreement on Stabilization and Association."

She stressed that the implementation of the agreement would significantly improve and simplify trade between Serbia and the EU countries.

The topic of talks between Serbia and EU officials will also be protective measures in trade between Serbia and the EU, state monopolies, public companies, and electronic communications, it is stated in the announcement of the Serbian Government Office for Association with the EU.