8/20/2013 5:25:00 PM
Serbia to become EU associated state as of September 1
http://www.tanjug.rs/
Serbia to become EU associated state as of September 1
BELGRADE - The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the EU will enter into force on September 1, thus turning Serbia's EU association process into the accession process.
Former director of European Integration Office Tanja Miscevic who drafted the agreement in 2008, pointed to the symbolic importance of the SAA enforcement because this fulfils the formal condition for the initiation of membership talks and Serbia is getting the status of EU associate country.
Miscevic told Tanjug that little would change in the already established economic ties between Serbia and the EU after this step.
There are no new deadlines or new funds which would become available through the SAA enforcement, this is just a completion of the previous process, she noted.
Recalling that Serbia and the EU have been implementing the Interim Trade Agreement as the SAA commercial section for a number of years now, Miscevic told Tanjug that a novelty now is the enforcement of the political section of the agreement.
The political part of the agreement defines the principles of accession based on European values, preparing the country for potential future membership and forming institutions in charge of the agreement implementation and monitoring of its realisation, which may resolve disputes between the two contract partners, Miscevic said.
As the most important novelty derived from the SAA enforcement, Miscevic listed Serbia's obligation to invest efforts and adjust stands in its foreign policy with the joint stands of the EU.
When it comes to commercial relations, the liberalisation process launched through the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement will continue, which means that liberalisation will be completed by January 1, 2014 for all industrial products from the EU and a majority of agricultural products.
In case of some agricultural products, Serbia will keep certain customs duty rates for products listed in annexes 3b and 3g of the agreement so as to protect local producers.
Agricultural products in Serbia have not been left unprotected because in the course of the agreement negotiations, we managed to liberalise around 80 percent of the agricultural product market, while 20 percent of production, including corn and wheat production, is protected and it will not be fully liberalised even after the agreement enters into force, Miscevic said.
Trade liberalisation with the EU was met with fierce criticism of EU accession sceptics over the past year as they believe that Serbia, as an underdeveloped country, would lose much through annulment of customs duties for European products.
Official statistics which Tanjug had a chance to inspect show otherwise, because around 82 percent of Serbia's exports to the EU in 2012 covered preferential exports while the stake of EU preferential export to Serbia totalled around 60 percent.
Cost and benefits analysis shows that the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement in 2012 brought Serbia more benefits (EUR 692 million) than costs (EUR 312 million), and the same was the case in the first five months of 2013 during which the benefits totalled EUR 222 million and costs added up to around EUR 88 million.
Indirect gains from the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement comprise increased investments, employment, GDP growth and export growth since the EU is both Serbia's major trade partner and the biggest investor.
BELGRADE - The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the EU will enter into force on September 1, thus turning Serbia's EU association process into the accession process.
Former director of European Integration Office Tanja Miscevic who drafted the agreement in 2008, pointed to the symbolic importance of the SAA enforcement because this fulfils the formal condition for the initiation of membership talks and Serbia is getting the status of EU associate country.
Miscevic told Tanjug that little would change in the already established economic ties between Serbia and the EU after this step.
There are no new deadlines or new funds which would become available through the SAA enforcement, this is just a completion of the previous process, she noted.
Recalling that Serbia and the EU have been implementing the Interim Trade Agreement as the SAA commercial section for a number of years now, Miscevic told Tanjug that a novelty now is the enforcement of the political section of the agreement.
The political part of the agreement defines the principles of accession based on European values, preparing the country for potential future membership and forming institutions in charge of the agreement implementation and monitoring of its realisation, which may resolve disputes between the two contract partners, Miscevic said.
As the most important novelty derived from the SAA enforcement, Miscevic listed Serbia's obligation to invest efforts and adjust stands in its foreign policy with the joint stands of the EU.
When it comes to commercial relations, the liberalisation process launched through the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement will continue, which means that liberalisation will be completed by January 1, 2014 for all industrial products from the EU and a majority of agricultural products.
In case of some agricultural products, Serbia will keep certain customs duty rates for products listed in annexes 3b and 3g of the agreement so as to protect local producers.
Agricultural products in Serbia have not been left unprotected because in the course of the agreement negotiations, we managed to liberalise around 80 percent of the agricultural product market, while 20 percent of production, including corn and wheat production, is protected and it will not be fully liberalised even after the agreement enters into force, Miscevic said.
Trade liberalisation with the EU was met with fierce criticism of EU accession sceptics over the past year as they believe that Serbia, as an underdeveloped country, would lose much through annulment of customs duties for European products.
Official statistics which Tanjug had a chance to inspect show otherwise, because around 82 percent of Serbia's exports to the EU in 2012 covered preferential exports while the stake of EU preferential export to Serbia totalled around 60 percent.
Cost and benefits analysis shows that the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement in 2012 brought Serbia more benefits (EUR 692 million) than costs (EUR 312 million), and the same was the case in the first five months of 2013 during which the benefits totalled EUR 222 million and costs added up to around EUR 88 million.
Indirect gains from the implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement comprise increased investments, employment, GDP growth and export growth since the EU is both Serbia's major trade partner and the biggest investor.
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