Q:
A:
Only one chapter more of SAA to be harmonised
Belgrade,
12 May 2006
Head of the Serbian government's EU Integration Office Tanja Miscevic said today that before the halt in negotiations with the EU, Serbia needed to finish the harmonisation of only one more chapter of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with representatives of the European Commission.
Miscevic stated for the daily Danas that the chapter is on the judicial system, freedom and security, which deals with establishing cooperation in these areas.
She said that apart from that Serbia needs to coordinate the annexes of the agreement which will define the lists of goods and the pace of liberalisation in customs tariff rates for industrial and agricultural products.
Only one more round of technical negotiations remained to define the annexes and one more to initial the agreement, explained Miscevic, and added that in her opinion, if it had not come to the present halt, negotiations would have been finished by June.
She said that without the halt the initialing of the agreement could have taken place as early as September, but now it is not possible to know how things will unfold.
She recalled that the goods lists were discussed last time at the end of April, when the delegation of Serbia-Montenegro visited Brussels for consultations. She stressed that EU representatives were satisfied with the proposals presented by Serbia-Montenegro on the issue of liberalisation in customs tariff rates.
She said that various different agreements have been reached in connection with the lists of goods, above all of industrial products. In that area a small number of elements remain to be settled and details are to be entered, which will establish the pace at which tariff rates will be lowered for certain goods. She added that in agriculture only a few more elements are to be discussed, especially concerning the fishing trade.
Commenting on the possibility of concluding the SAA by the end of the year in case negotiations are resumed at the end of September, Miscevic said that it would be a very short deadline to meet. “It is all hypothetical and I cannot say if it would be possible to reach the pace we have had so far, i.e. to achieve that the Interim SAA enters into force on January 1, 2007,” she said. If the negotiations continue in late September, then Serbia will have to speed its pace of negotiating, according to Misevic.
She added that if Serbia misses the chance for the Interim SAA to come into force on January 1 next year, it will not have to wait for some other January 1 because the agreement can become effective anytime.
She said that apart from that Serbia needs to coordinate the annexes of the agreement which will define the lists of goods and the pace of liberalisation in customs tariff rates for industrial and agricultural products.
Only one more round of technical negotiations remained to define the annexes and one more to initial the agreement, explained Miscevic, and added that in her opinion, if it had not come to the present halt, negotiations would have been finished by June.
She said that without the halt the initialing of the agreement could have taken place as early as September, but now it is not possible to know how things will unfold.
She recalled that the goods lists were discussed last time at the end of April, when the delegation of Serbia-Montenegro visited Brussels for consultations. She stressed that EU representatives were satisfied with the proposals presented by Serbia-Montenegro on the issue of liberalisation in customs tariff rates.
She said that various different agreements have been reached in connection with the lists of goods, above all of industrial products. In that area a small number of elements remain to be settled and details are to be entered, which will establish the pace at which tariff rates will be lowered for certain goods. She added that in agriculture only a few more elements are to be discussed, especially concerning the fishing trade.
Commenting on the possibility of concluding the SAA by the end of the year in case negotiations are resumed at the end of September, Miscevic said that it would be a very short deadline to meet. “It is all hypothetical and I cannot say if it would be possible to reach the pace we have had so far, i.e. to achieve that the Interim SAA enters into force on January 1, 2007,” she said. If the negotiations continue in late September, then Serbia will have to speed its pace of negotiating, according to Misevic.
She added that if Serbia misses the chance for the Interim SAA to come into force on January 1 next year, it will not have to wait for some other January 1 because the agreement can become effective anytime.
-
Belgrade, 29 October 2024State moves to minimise advertising for betting shops
-
Belgrade/Berlin, 28 January 2016Fences cannot stop migrations
-
Belgrade, 7 January 2016Serbia to experience dynamic economic growth in 2016
-
Belgrade, 31 December 2015Serbia will persevere on path of development, reforms
-
Belgrade, 30 December 2015Ground for Serbia’s progress set
-
Belgrade, 28 December 2015
Serbia ready for improvement of cooperation with Russia
-
Belgrade, 22 December 2015Serbia ready to open six more chapters next year
-
Belgrade, 21 December 2015Serbia to be part of EU by 2020
-
Belgrade, 20 December 2015Serbia ready for EU membership by 2019
-
Belgrade, 16 December 2015Chapter 35 not substitute for Belgrade-Pristina dialogue