Belgrade, 13 July 2007 – Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said today that Serbia managed to fully consolidate the text of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union (EU), except for the parts relating to trade in sugar, Beta agency reports.
`We may realistically expect the initialing of the Agreement to take place in October this year`, Djelic said in Belgrade after the fourth technical round of negotiations between Serbia and the EU.
Liberalisation of trade regime for industrial products was fully agreed, as well as the period for liberalization of public undertakings’ operation with the EU rules, Djelic said.
He added that the protocol on rules of origin of goods was also harmonized.
Djelic expressed hopes that none of the EU Member States would have subsequent requirements that would result in substantial readjustment of the Agreement.
Djelic added that he expected another round of technical negotiations to be held on 10 September, probably in Brussels.
Speaking of negotiations he stated that there was no issue between Serbia and the EU in relation to sugar, but that they were searching for a mechanism to ensure the sustainable trade relations between the parties in the domain of sugar and products containing high percentage thereof.
According to Djelic, Serbia was granted the export quota of 180.000 tons of sugar for export to the EU, and sugar was one of the main export products producing the income of 120 million EUR.
Quotas for duty-free export of 8.700 tones of baby-beef were also granted, whose value according to current prices exceeds 30 million EUR, said Deputy Prime Minister underlining that the quotas for export of 55.000 hl of wine were granted for the first time, as well as quotas for fish – trout and carp.
EU recognized strategic importance of agriculture for Serbia, hence it allowed the protection of most sensitive products in the transition period, and subsequently the protection of certain products such as fruit, vegetables and cereals, Djelic said.
When asked whether it was realistic to expect the initialing of the agreement in October, Ms Therese Sobieski, Head of the Unit for Serbia in the Directorate General for Enlargement, said that she hoped the two parties would consolidate the remaining part of the Agreement during the final technical round of negotiations.
The two-day negotiations between Serbian and EU officials also covered the topics of safeguard measures in trade between Serbia and EU, as well as state monopolies, public undertakings and electronic communications.
