Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Domestic agriculture needs protective measures

Belgrade, 8 July 2004

Serbian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Ivana Dulic-Markovic said that the purpose of the government delegation's trip to Brussels was to resolve a problem which dates back from 2002, when the European Union allowed western Balkan countries to export 95 percent of their products free of duty. These measures enabled Serbia to export all its agricultural products to the EU without paying customs duties, except for baby beef and some kinds of fish and wine.

Dulic-Markovic told a press conference that one of the conditions for obtaining these favourable terms was that Serbia does not bolster measures to protect its products and limit imports from the EU. However, Serbia did that on several occasions, especially in 2003, when the EU requested that the level of protection from 2000 be restored.

The Minister said that the Serbian government delegation explained to European Commission (EC) representatives the importance of domestic agriculture, and suggested that the issue should be discussed product by product, instead of abolishing all preferential rates. The final result of the Brussels talks was that the EC representatives accepted analyses made by the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture and the Serbian Ministry of International Economic Relations. The talks will be continued in September, at the level of expert groups.

Assistant Minister of International Economic Relations Dusko Lopandic said that EC representatives examined Serbia's system of product protection, which must be as compatible as possible with European standards, since Serbia is a potential candidate for EU membership.

Lopandic said that the European Commission offered to assist Serbia-Montenegro in the process of accession to the World Trade Organisation by introducing an agricultural protection policy compatible with that of the EU, as well as by establishing food safety system of control.

Dulic-Markovic said that Serbia's agricultural trade with the EU has been increasing year in year out. The EU is Serbia's major trade partner in agriculture and food products, since it makes up for more than a half of Serbia's total foreign trade. She said that the continuing neglect of the EU's request could cause Serbia to loose all preferential rates, as it was the case with sugar.

Out of the total of 1,100 products, non-tariff protection measures were established for 200, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Goran Zivkov specified. To abolish or reduce these measures, it is necessary to make economic analysis of each product, taking into account the price in Serbia, the price in the neighbouring countries and the world price. He added that such economic analyses have been done for groups of products so far, but that the Ministry's goal is to make analyses of individual products as well, which will serve as a basis for the dialogue with EC representatives.