CrossBorder Cooperation Serbia-Montenegro

On 2 March 2010 the first meeting of the Interim Committee under the EU-Serbia Interim Agreement was held in Belgrade. The meeting was chaired by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Mr Bozidar Djelic. The EU was represented by Mr Pierre Mirel, Director in the European Commission Directorate General for Enlargement. The Interim Agreement which entered into force on 1 February 2010 covers trade and other important policies related to trade such as competition, state aid, intellectual property law and transit traffic.

Director Mirel said: ‘The implementation of the Interim Agreement will help the modernisation of Serbian economy, boost investments and create new jobs’.
At the meeting of the Interim Committee, the EU and Serbia adopted the working arrangements to monitor and promote the implementation of the Interim Agreement, notably by establishing the technical bodies responsible for the various sectors of the Agreement.
Serbia reconfirmed its implementation of the Interim Agreement as of 1 January 2009 and presented the progress made so far. The EU side welcomed Serbia’s track-record in implementing the Agreement as already acknowledged by the EU Council in December 2009. The track-record is a key element to be taken into account when assessing Serbia’s application for membership.
The EU side recalled that thanks to the diagonal cumulation of origin Serbian companies can increase their export to the EU.
Both sides stressed the importance of keeping adequate administrative capacity for the successful implementation of the Interim Agreement and for Serbia’s further progress in the European Integration process.
The Interim Committee will meet, in principle, in one year time to take stock of the progress made in implementing the Interim Agreement. Pending the ratification and entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), policy areas that are not covered by the Interim Agreement will continue to be monitored in the context of the EU – Serbian Enhanced Permanent Dialogue. In December 2009, the EU Council decided that it would revert to the issue of whether launching the ratification procedures for the SAA in mid-2010.