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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Two more negotiation chapters opened

Belgrade/Luxembourg, 20 June 2017

Minister without portfolio in charge of European integration Jadranka Joksimovic said in Luxembourg today that the opening of new chapters in Serbia's accession negotiations is yet another message that the EU door is open to Serbia.

Author: TV Fonet

Joksimovic, who leads the delegation of Serbia at the Sixth Intergovernmental Conference between Serbia and the EU, said that Serbia opened two more negotiation chapters today in Luxembourg - Chapter 29, which relates to the customs union and Chapter 7, which deals with intellectual property.

She said that each chapter represents an area of social life which is being reformed in Serbia primarily for the benefit of the state and its citizens.

I want our citizens to understand the message that EU membership is not an end in itself but just part of our development agenda, which includes economic reforms, strengthening institutions, the rule of law, good and efficient state administration, all these important segments that our citizens recognize as important for better functioning of the state and better life in Serbia, Joksimovic emphasised.

She pointed out that the negotiations about Chapter 7 on intellectual property rights deal with the interests of those working in the field of innovation and art and who support the Serbian economy in an innovative way.

This also includes the fight against piracy, better protection of consumers, better positioning of our companies in the internal market, branding, geographical indications. These are very important things for our small and medium-sized enterprises, but also for the people who are engaged in art and innovation as an important part of economic development, she explained.

When it comes to Chapter 29 regarding the customs union, Joksimovic stated that this is a chapter that will benefit every citizen, company and that everyone in the economy and society will feel the benefit of the customs union.

This means that after the closure of this chapter we will operate according to the rules of the customs union in terms of uninterrupted flow of goods among member states and the same tariff quotas towards third countries, she explained.