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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia's accession to WTO in 2008 is a realistic goal

Belgrade/Hong Kong, 16 December 2005

Serbian Assistant Minister of International Economic Relations Dusko Lopandic said that at the conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Hong Kong it has been confirmed that the announced plan of Serbia to join the WTO before 2008 represents an ambitious, but realistic goal.

Dusko Lopandic

In a statement to the Tanjug news agency, Lopandic, who is heading a delegation from Serbia at the Sixth Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Hong Kong, said that at the meetings conducted so far in Hong Kong, it has been confirmed that it is fairly possible for Serbia to join the WTO by 2008, provided the country conducts intensive talks in the next two years and realise all the reformation objectives envisaged, which imply putting the legislature that regulates the economic sector in line with the rules prescribed by this organisation.

He pointed out that even Pascal Lamy, WTO Director-General, in his speech at the plenary session, singled out Serbia as one of the most active among countries who have started intensive talks on joining this organisation.

Lopandic said that the Serbian delegation conducted several talks on the soonest possible accession of Serbia to the WTO, and that it also met with important participants at the conference, including WTO Director-General Lamy and principal negotiator of Hong Kong and its Minister of Commerce, Industry and Technology John Tsang.

According to Lopandic, the delegation also met with an assistant of the US trade representative, representatives of the European Commission and several EU countries, as well as Francois Roux, a Belgium official and chairman of the working group on Serbia’s accession to the WTO.

He also stressed that the agreement has been reached for the next meeting of the working group for Serbia to be probably held in May 2006 and highlighted that the fundamental issues in the next phase of talks will be customs and services.

Lopandic also mentioned one regional meeting that was held with representatives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and FYR Macedonia on the issues of regional trade cooperation and Serbia-Montenegro's joining the CEFTA group (Central Europe Free Trade Agreement). He added that tomorrow the delegation will hold another meeting, this time with representatives of Romania, on the same issues.