Harmonisation of Serbian standards with the EU ones in the area of veterinary medicine will reduce the risk of animal transmitted diseases, increase food safety for Serbian consumers and enhance export possibilities for Serbian food producers, officials said at the presentation of the EU-funded projects at the Novi Sad International agricultural fair.

Three of the IPA-funded (EU’s instrument for pre-accession assistance) projects were presented at the Fair, whose primary beneficiary is Veterinary directorate: capacity building for the development of food production facilities and management of animal by-products; food safety and animal welfare capacity building; capacity building for the development of national compensation fund for combating contagious animal diseases.

“We should remember that about 40 percent of the EU budget is spent on agriculture and rural development,” said Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Oskar Benedikt.

This is why the EU is highly committed to assisting Serbia in the process of standard and legislative harmonisation in the area of veterinary medicine and public health with the EU standards and legislation, said Benedikt.

According to him, Serbia is already making a progress; this is reflected in the fact that the EU remains main destination for more than 50 percent of Serbian food products while the last year’s positive trade balance for Serbia is EUR360 million.

Serbia has a potential for further increase and development, and with our Serbian colleagues we plan and work closely the implementation of most beneficial projects for Serbian agriculture and the process of its harmonisation with the EU standards, Benedikt said.

“Special purpose funds have been envisioned for the situations such as the current one in Serbia, the situation that calls for the development of new projects aimed at reconstruction,” said Benedikt.

Laws and regulations within these areas present one of the key points of Serbia’s EU membership talks, as well as an integral part of the Negotiating Group 12, whose next meeting is scheduled for late 2014.