“We hope we will be able to open another few chapters by the end of the year, which will mean keeping a good momentum“, said Tanja Miščević, Head of the Negotiating Team for Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union, opening PLAC II Project meeting with beneficiaries on 7th November 2017. „But the work has not been completed and we expect further assistance from the PLAC II Project and its experts in order to understand the process and draft documents. We also count on the support and assistance of the European Union as our partner in the negotiation process“.
„EU accession is basically about a lot of hard work for the administration to pursue reforms, which bring better quality of life for the citizens“, said Yngve Engstroem, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Serbia. He pointed out that assistance provided by the PLAC II Project brings an added value, as it helps the Serbian administration with this process by advising on the ways of implementing the acquis, finding the best solutions and translating the directives to fit the Serbian reality. Along with the transposition of regulations, another aspect of key importance is the capacity of administration to implement the reform, he added.
“Coordination, communication and commitment to work are the principles we have successfully applied together in our cooperation so far,” said Mojca Grošelj, the Team Leader of this project through which the European Union assists Serbia in improving compatibility of national legislation with the EU acquis in 13 chapters, and in enhancing capacities of relevant institutions to successfully carry out accession negotiations.
She presented activities and progress that have been accomplished in the past 16 months jointly with the beneficiaries that include: the Ministry of European Integration, the Negotiating Team, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Mining and Energy, the Ministry of Health, the National Bank of Serbia and other institutions.
“The experience and knowledge we gain though the PLAC II Project are invaluable, both for capacity building and for further work in the negotiation process”, concluded Ksenija Milenkovic, Assistant Minister of European Integration.
