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Serbia gets strong endorsement for quick accession to WTO
Belgrade/Geneva,
7 October 2005
Serbian Minister of International Economic Relations Milan Parivodic said in a statement to the Serbian government’s official website that he is pleased with today’s multilateral meeting of the working group for Serbia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the impression the Serbian delegation made in Geneva.
Milan Parivodic
Parivodic, who headed a Serbian delegation to Geneva, said that at the beginning of the meeting he gave a speech on the current situation in Serbia with a special emphasis on economic flows, after which representatives of several countries expressed support for Serbia’s joining the WTO.
The minister pointed out that representatives of 25 WTO member countries complimented the Serbian delegation on the quality of the material they had prepared for the meeting, and added that there are about 700 pages of this material providing a detailed analysis of Serbian regulations and an immaculate presentation of its trade regime.
According to Parivodic, some of the participants assessed that the reports by the Serbian delegation can serve as role models for other countries on how to prepare the material needed for joining the WTO.
The second part of the meeting consisted of questions posed to the Serbian delegation concerning the presented reports, Parivodic said and explained that there were few questions, since the material was thorough and well-prepared. Most questions were asked by representatives from the USA and Australia, and the overall feeling is that the meeting was rather constructive, he added.
After the meeting of the working group, Parivodic talked with WTO Director General and former EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, who strongly supported Serbia’s quick accession to the WTO.
According to Parivodic, Lamy stressed the importance of establishing in Serbia a proper coordination between the Serbian ministries and all parties interested in an expeditious accession to the WTO, because the faster Serbia brings its regulations in line with those of the WTO, the sooner it will become a member.
The immediate task at the moment is to answer questions that will be posed in the upcoming month and which require speedy answers, as well as to make an initial offer for goods by the end of the year, so as to prepare ourselves for the working group’s second meeting, due to be held in the first half of 2006, Parivodic concluded.
The minister pointed out that representatives of 25 WTO member countries complimented the Serbian delegation on the quality of the material they had prepared for the meeting, and added that there are about 700 pages of this material providing a detailed analysis of Serbian regulations and an immaculate presentation of its trade regime.
According to Parivodic, some of the participants assessed that the reports by the Serbian delegation can serve as role models for other countries on how to prepare the material needed for joining the WTO.
The second part of the meeting consisted of questions posed to the Serbian delegation concerning the presented reports, Parivodic said and explained that there were few questions, since the material was thorough and well-prepared. Most questions were asked by representatives from the USA and Australia, and the overall feeling is that the meeting was rather constructive, he added.
After the meeting of the working group, Parivodic talked with WTO Director General and former EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, who strongly supported Serbia’s quick accession to the WTO.
According to Parivodic, Lamy stressed the importance of establishing in Serbia a proper coordination between the Serbian ministries and all parties interested in an expeditious accession to the WTO, because the faster Serbia brings its regulations in line with those of the WTO, the sooner it will become a member.
The immediate task at the moment is to answer questions that will be posed in the upcoming month and which require speedy answers, as well as to make an initial offer for goods by the end of the year, so as to prepare ourselves for the working group’s second meeting, due to be held in the first half of 2006, Parivodic concluded.
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