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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Pace of EU integration depends on entire society

Belgrade/Uzice, 13 July 2005

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Serbian government’s negotiation team for talks with the EU, Miroljub Labus, said today that Serbia has both economic and social capacities to move towards the EU much faster than it is moving at this moment.

Press conference in Uzice

During his visit to Uzice, as part of the ‘Europe Knocks on Your Door’ campaign, Labus voiced hope that Serbia can carry out all the necessary reforms very quickly and that it is up to society to choose the pace at which it will adjust to European integration.

He pointed out that the World Bank’s report released a few days ago confirms that the business climate in Serbia has improved, which also helps to speed up EU integration.

Talks with representatives of the local government and businesspeople in Uzice covered the role of local governments in the EU integration process and what lies ahead for the local economy in Uzice on the road to Europe after a free trade agreement with the EU is signed, said Labus.

He explained that this agreement will create a free trade zone and that the speed of the creation of this free zone depends on Serbia.

Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Services Bojan Dimitrijevic said that the Uzice region is one the top tourist destinations in Serbia and he recalled that the ministry, together with the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the Serbian Tourism Organisation, has initiated the process of decentralisation in the tourism industry and that the new bill on tourism envisions the creation of tourist regions in the country.

The bill also calls for setting up a fund for tourism development and the introduction of tourist fees, with 80 percent of revenues staying with the municipality, said Dimitrijevic.

He explained that these revenues, combined with the existing 160 million earmarked for rural tourism development in the Uzice region in 2005, will represent a strong incentive to the development of tourism infrastructure.

Serbian Minister of Health Tomica Milosavljevic said that Uzice’s clinical centre is one of the biggest such facilities in Serbia and that it is receiving some €3.2 million from a European Investment Bank loan, representing the largest investment in this centre over the past 30 years.

Visit to the Uzice Medical Centre

Spanish Ambassador to Serbia-Montenegro Jose Riera Siquier expressed the hope that the process of European integration will mark a new era in this region.

Siquier said that Spain faced similar problems at the beginning of the EU accession process and he stressed the importance of cooperation between regions.

Siquier said that Spain will continue to support Serbia-Montenegro’s efforts to join the EU, as well as endorsing the shortening of the accession periods.

David Hudson of the European Commission’s delegation in Serbia-Montenegro said that today’s talks with representatives of the Uzice authorities revealed that there are multiple areas in which the city and the entire country can benefit from European integration.

He said that the talks also covered opportunities for more investment in Uzice as well as ways for the European Commission to assist the district’s tourism industry and promote exports.