The representatives of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia today visited the Serbian Commission for State Aid Control, holding the first meeting with the newly appointed members of that Commission.
Mr. Oskar BENEDIKT, Deputy Head of EU Delegation to Serbia, said: “The invitation to visit the Commission for State Aid Control and to meet its new members was greatly appreciated. The consistent application of state aid rules at all levels of government sends a clear signal to investors that there is a level playing field and that investors are equally treated. The Commission for State Aid Control plays a crucial role in this respect.”
Through the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between Serbia and the EU, Serbia committed to ensure transparency in the area of State aid and to set up an operationally independent authority entrusted with the powers to authorise State aid schemes and individual aid grants, as well as the powers to order the recovery of State aid that has been unlawfully granted.
The EU strongly supports the Serbian government`s efforts to ensure full application of state aid rules in a continuous manner. In the process of European integration, Serbia will need to ensure that all aid measures are notified to the Commission for State Aid Control and approved before being implemented. State aid advocacy and awareness-raising activities also need to be stepped up to increase understanding among both central and local public bodies granting aid. The EU stands ready to support the new Commission in the performance of these important tasks.
The area of state aid control takes up a central place in the EU’s internal market legislation. Chapter eight of the EU acquis on competition includes the general principles of transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination, ensuring that all companies compete equally and fairly on their merits to the benefits of the consumers, businesses and the European economy as a whole. The SAA between Serbia and the EU foresees the application of these standards in the Serbia, which can be expected to benefit Serbian citizens, companies and society as a whole.
Information on the SAA between Serbia and the EU can be found here:
https://europa.rs/srbija-i-evropska-unija/kljucni_dokumenti/sporazum_stabilizaciji_pridruzivanju.html
More information on the EU acquis in relation to the state aid rules can be found here:
http://ec.europa.eu/competition/state_aid/overview/index_en.html
More information on the state aid legislation in Serbia may be found here:
http://www.mfin.gov.rs/pages/issue.php?id=7272
