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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Support of Norway to European integration of Serbia

Belgrade/Oslo, 23 November 2017

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic met at the beginning of the second day of her official visit to the Kingdom of Norway with Minister of Foreign Affairs of that country Ine Eriksen Soreide.

In the talks with the Norwegian Foreign Minister, Brnabic stressed that Serbia appreciates very much the assistance and support of Norway in the implementation of reforms in Serbia, aimed at improving the quality of life of all citizens and accelerating the process of European integration.

The Prime Minister underlined that membership in the European Union is a key foreign policy goal of Serbia.

Serbia has so far opened 10 negotiating chapters, and we expect to open three or four more in December, Brnabic said, adding that this was said during a visit to Brussels last week and at a meeting with top EU officials.

The Prime Minister took the opportunity to thank on behalf of the Serbian government for the support provided by the Kingdom of Norway to the European integration of Serbia and excellent bilateral cooperation. In her conversation with Eriksen Soreide, Brnabic emphasised the importance of improving regional cooperation in all areas, which Serbia is dedicated to.

Regional cooperation, primarily in the field of the economy, contributes to a better life of all citizens of the Western Balkans, Brnabic assessed.

Bilateral relations between Serbia and Norway, and especially political ones, are at a high level.

In the period from 2000 until now, the Kingdom of Norway has supported Serbia with around €250 million in grants and is one of the largest donors.

The assistance so far has been focused on the fields of rule of law, strengthening competitiveness, public administration reform and energy efficiency.

The continuation of Norwegian support and assistance would be valuable to Serbia, especially in areas that are priorities in the work of the Government: education, innovation and entrepreneurship, digitization and creative industries, Brnabic stressed at the meeting with Eriksen Soreide.

Norway’s experiences in the field of e-education and informal educational programmes, as well as support to the improvement of e-government, will significantly contribute to the continuation of reforms and modernisation of the society, said the Prime Minister. In addition, Brnabic highlighted the assistance in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship as a particularly important one, given that the digital economy is based on knowledge and innovation, what Serbia is striving for in the changed market conditions of the 21st century.

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide also discussed bilateral co-operation in the field of security and defence.