Representatives of the Republic of Serbia and of the European Commission reviewed the implementation of the Copenhagen EU accession criteria and the implementation of the SAA.
Belgrade, 4 March 2014 – The Stabilisation and Association Committee (SA Committee) held its first meeting following the entry into force of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Serbia on 1 September 2013. Representatives of the Republic of Serbia and of the European Commission reviewed the implementation of the Copenhagen EU accession criteria and the implementation of the SAA. The fruitful exchanges allowed for the reviewing of key reforms which are being pursued first and foremost for the benefit of the citizens of Serbia.
This first meeting was co-chaired by Mr Srdjan Majstorovic, Deputy Director of the Serbian European Integration Office (SEIO), and by Mr Jean-Eric Paquet, Director at the Directorate General for the Enlargement of the European Commission.
The SA Committee reviewed the developments related to the fulfilment of the political criteria by Serbia. The SA Committee stressed the importance of consulting stakeholders in the legislative process and the role of the Parliament in the oversight of the executive. It underlined the role of the Independent Regulatory and Control Bodies and the importance of the effective follow-up of their findings. It welcomed the adoption of the strategy on public administration reform and discussed the reforms on self-government in Serbia. It also stressed the importance of strengthening inclusive regional cooperation.
The SA Committee encouraged Serbia to accelerate the momentum of reforms in the area of rule of law and judiciary. It underlined the need to ensure an effective and timely implementation of the reforms in the rule of law area, through accurate financial allocation, regular monitoring and efficient coordination mechanisms. It welcomed the adoption of both a strategy and an implementing action plan on judicial reform and underlined that further efforts to improve the independence, functioning and efficiency of the judiciary lie ahead. The adoption of an anti-corruption strategy and its implementing action plan is a positive step. Pro-activeness in investigation of corruption cases should be reinforced. Establishing a good track record in the fight against organised crime should remain a priority. The SA Committee welcomed the adoption of a comprehensive anti-discrimination strategy and underlined the importance of protecting the rights of minorities, including the Roma and LGBT population. It underlined the necessity to finalise and adopt the related action plan. The SA Committee acknowledged that efforts towards economic and social inclusion of the Roma participate in Serbia’s addressing the issue of unfounded asylum seekers in the EU and Schengen countries.
The SA Committee also reviewed the economic criteria. It noted the relative improvement of the Serbian economy in 2013. It underlined the need for further fiscal consolidation efforts in order to address the growing public deficit and debt. Structural economic reforms, in particular in the area of business environment, should be accelerated in order to stimulate growth and competitiveness. The process of restructuring of publicly owned enterprises should be re-launched without delay after the elections together with other needed reforms to reduce State presence in the economy. The European Commission will contribute to help Serbia improve its economic governance.
Regarding the implementation of the SAA, the SA Committee noted that the SAA, and the previous Interim Agreement on trade and trade related matters, had been implemented in a satisfactory manner. Overall, the liberalisation of trade brought about by these two agreements has contributed to the large increase of Serbian exports to the EU: over 60% between 2010 and 2013.
The SA Committee reviewed the state of play of the various areas covered by the SAA, and took note of the progress made in the area of trade, industry, customs and taxation, agriculture, internal market and competition, innovation information society and social policy, transport, environment and energy. The SAA Committee highlighted the areas where specific efforts are needed, such as the improvement of the control of State aid.
Finally, the SA Committee reviewed the extensive financial assistance provided by the EU to Serbia. The EU is committed to continue supporting Serbia’s EU accession process including financially. Since 2007, close to € 1.5 billion has been granted to support Serbia’s accession. Since 2000 the EU, together with its member states, has been by far the biggest donor with a contribution amounting to 75% of all donations received by Serbia.
Both parties agreed that the SA Committee will continue to play an important role in ensuring continuity of the stabilisation and association process and the proper implementation of the SAA commitments, as an important framework for the assessment of the accession process in general.
