65% of Serbian people in favour of joining EU

Belgrade, 16 July 2010 – Director of the Serbian government’s EU Integration Office Milica Delevic stated today that the degree of public support for Serbia joining the EU remains unchanged but emotional identification and a sense of optimism among people are decreasing.

Speaking at a press conference held to present results of the “Public Opinion on Serbia’s European Integration Process” survey, Delevic emphasised that 65% of the Serbian people responded positively when asked if they are in favour of Serbia joining the EU.

The level of public support for joining the EU is the same as it was last year, she highlighted, adding that there has been a 1% increase in the number of people who would vote against joining the EU if a referendum were to be held.

Younger people, compared to the average population, have a more positive attitude about the EU. Survey results also show that fewer Serbian people feel that they are Europeans, she underlined.

A sense of idealism and optimism among the public has also dropped, she noted.

Responding to queries about what they think when Serbia might acquire EU candidate status, 46% of the people surveyed answered that this should happen in 2011, 9% said that it will be at the end of 2010 and 18% replied that it will never happen, specified Delevic.

People generally tend to be realistic in their assessment of the situation, she elaborated, adding that those who think that Serbia will never become a part of the EU are mainly the people who thought that Serbia will never be placed on the Schengen White List.

The Head of the EU Integration Office said that there is an increasing number of citizens who believe that the reforms that are necessary for joining the EU should be implemented first of all in order to make a better Serbia with better living conditions for its citizens, and not because this is a precondition set by the EU.

The percentage of citizens with this opinion is 72% which is 9% more than last year, noting that this number is considerably bigger than the number of citizens who support Serbia’s EU accession.

The number of citizens who believe that accession of Serbia into the EU is mostly undermined by the constant setting of conditions and blackmails is falling, accounting for 43% of all respondents, which is 7% less than in May last year.

Also, the number of citizens who believe that cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and handover of ICTY indictees are the main conditions set to Serbia has dropped.

The latest survey shows that 70% of respondents believe this, which is 9% less than in May last year, Delevic remarked.

This shows that citizens understand that the government has accepted this cooperation as an obligation, Delevic observed and added that the number of citizens who see the Kosovo problem as the main condition set to Serbia has also dropped.

The EU Integration Office conducted this survey in June on a sample of

1,094 respondents. A considerable number of citizens, 36%, believe that the speed of Serbia’s EU accession is also affected by the situation within the EU, Delevic concluded.

Here you can download the results of a public opinion poll “European Orientation of Serbian Citizens – Trends”, conducted in June 2010.

At the session of 15 July 2010, the Government adopted the Report on implementation of the Revised National Programme for Integration of the Republic of Serbia with the European Union (NPI) for the period April – June 2010.According to the results of this report, drafted by the European Integration Office, the overall fulfillment of NPI in the second quarter was 73percent. Out of 73 regulations planned for adoption, 53 were adopted. The Government enacted four law proposals out of ten that were planned, whereby it fulfilled its plan with 40 percent. The key characteristic of this reporting period that explains this relatively high degree of success is the fact that the ministries adopted 20 regulations that were in the backlog from the previous period (among them four enacted law proposals), whereas 15 regulations are adopted in advance. At the same time, the National Assembly adopted 11 laws. Out of the laws covered by the NPI, five are currently in the procedure before the Assembly, and that: 1) The Law amending the Law on Voluntary Pension Funds and Pension Schemes, 2) Law amending the Law on Salaries in Public Agencies and Public Services, 3) Law on Accreditation, 4) Trade Law and5) Law on implementation of the Convention on prohibition of upgrading, production and piling up bacteriological (biological) and toxic weapons and their destruction.

With regard to by-laws, out of 12 regulations planned for adoption at the Government level (regulations, decisions, strategies, conclusions), the Government adopted four i.e. 33 percent, whereas the ministries adopted seven out of 51 planned by-laws (rulebooks and orders)i.e.14 percent. If we only observe the Government commitments with regard to enacting the law proposals and adopting by-laws for this reporting period, the statistics indicates 21% of success, having in mind that 15 out of 73 planned regulations were enacted i.e. adopted.

The most successful ministries are the Ministry of Finance, Ministry for Science and Technological Development and Ministry of Economy and Regional Development.

Ministries and special organizations that were most overloaded with the planned, backlogging commitments or adopted in advance are the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning.

Overall, taking into account the regulations planned for adoption in the period July 2008-June 2010, the National Programme was fulfilled 75 %, having in mind that 404 regulations were adopted out of 537 planned. The number of laws planned for adoption was 157 and 134 thereof were adopted i.e. 85 percent. Out of 380 by-laws planned, 271 were adopted i.e. 71 percent.

Belgrade, 22 jan, 2010 - Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Report on the implementation of the National Programme for Integration with the European Union (NPI) for the period October – December 2009. According to the results of this report prepared by the European Integration Office, the fulfillment of NPI in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 77 percent. Out of 115 regulations envisaged for adoption, 88 were adopted. The Government adopted 13 proposal laws out of 25 planned, whereby it fulfilled its plan by52 percent. At the same time, the National Assembly adopted 22 laws, whereby the legislative authority realized 170% of its commitments (22/13), resulting from the adoption of proposal laws from the previous periods.

As regards the by-laws, out of 26 decrees and strategies envisaged for adoption, Government adopted 17 i.e. 65%, while the ministries adopted 32 out of 57 envisaged rulebooks i.e. 56%. If we exclusively observe the Government's activities pertaining to adoption of proposal laws and by-laws, the statistics indicate the 57% success, having in mind that 62 regulations were adopted out of 108 planned.

The most successful institutions, according to the European Commission’s parameters “law adopted – measure implemented”, with more than 80% of realized commitments are the following ministries: Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and Ministry for Science and Technological Development. With more than 50% of realized commitments, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Republic Agency for Telecommunications and Republic Statistics Office have fulfilled their obligations to a large extent.

The ministries that were most overloaded with the number of commitments (planned, overdue or realised in advance) are: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management - 34 regulations, Ministry of Finance – 24 regulations, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning– 15 regulations and Ministry of Economy and Regional Development -11 regulations.

Overall, in the period from July 2008 to December 2009, the National Programme was 79% fulfilled, having in mind that 273 regulations were adopted out of 344 planned. The number of laws planned for adoption was 145, whereof 109 were adopted i.e. 75 percent. Out of 199 by-laws planned for adoption, 164 were adopted i.e. 82 percent.

Extraordinary fulfillment of NPI in the third and fourth quarters, as well as the increase of fulfillment at annual level result from two facts. The first one implies a more accountable attitude to commitments – the ministries plan less, but strive to fulfill all their plans. The second one refers to more efficient operation of the National Assembly following the amendment of the Rules of Procedure, allowing for quicker legislative activities, having in mind that the Assembly adopted109 out of113 law proposals i.e. 96% proposals submitted by the Government.

In addition to its impact on harmonization of Serbia’s legislation with the European Union acquis, the application of the adopted regulations significantly promotes various social and economic areas of importance for citizens' everyday life. It is particularly noteworthy that Serbia has, in accordance with the NPI, reformed the areas of internal market (standardization, technical requirements and conformity assessment, competition, state aid, financial services, public procurement, company law etc.), environment (air protection, waste management, waste packaging, nature protection, chemicals management, industrial waste...), agriculture (rural development, veterinary policy, phytosanitary policy, food safety), official statistics, education and culture. A series of regulations necessary for implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement in the fields of competition, state aid, customs and intellectual property rights protection was also adopted.

Here you can download the entire Report оn NPI implementation for the period October-December 2009.

NPI is a precise plan for attaining all criteria necessary for a country to become an EU member state, from political and economic through to the detailed standards applied in the EU in the fields of trade, agriculture, environmental protection, transport etc. The objective of the NPI is to enable the state institutions to monitor their own progress in the EU accession process in a clear and measurable manner.

Following the achievements made and considering the changes of European legislation in the course of 2009, on 24 December the Government adopted the annual revision of NPI. Based on this revision, further harmonization of domestic legislation with the EU law is planned in 2010. Particularly important NPI priorities for 2010 will be those relating to the following fields: internal market (metrology and accreditation), company law, financial services, public procurement, internal financial control, services, education, consumer protection, energy efficiency, transport and traffic, electronic communications, water protection and other implementing regulations in the area of environment and agriculture etc. The noteworthy laws planned for adoption are Law on Metrology, Law on Accreditation, Bankruptcy Law, Consumer Protection Law, Trade Law, Law on Waters and Law on Rational Use of Energy.

Belgrade, Jan 15, 2010 – The Serbian government’s EU Integration Office presented today awards for the best broadcast on European integration in 2009.

The awards were presented by Director of the EU Integration Office Milica Delevic, head of the European Commission Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert and President of the Executive Council of Erste Bank Slavko Caric.

Delevic expressed satisfaction with a large turnout of reporters and pointed to the importance of good informing of the public on European integration. In this way, the attitude of citizens on the importance of Serbia’s road to Europe and their support to it will be based on appropriate information.

Degert said that works on various topics were submitted at the competition, which only indicates the variety of topics that will be opened in the further course of Serbia’s European integration.

The reporters who received awards will make a study visit to Brussels and Strasbourg from January 26 to 31 where they will have an opportunity to meet with representatives of the European Commission in charge of enlargement and with fellow reporters, with the aim of establishing and improving professional cooperation.

After the award ceremony Delevic presented the results of a public opinion poll “European Orientation of Serbian Citizens – Trends”, conducted in December 2009.

She specified that 65% of Serbian citizens endorse EU integration at this moment, adding that citizens have regained their ‘Euro-optimism’ thanks to the results the state achieved in this field.

Delevic said that when compared to the poll conducted in May 2009, the support to EU integration increased by 4%.

The citizens assessed Serbia’s speed of progress towards the EU as 3.4 (on a 1–7 scale), which is the best grade so far, she explained.

She stressed that 72% of citizens believe that the reforms Serbia began should be implemented and that they are not the condition for EU entry only, but also for the creation of a better state.

As key reforms, the citizens pointed out fight against corruption (87%), judicial reform (68%), health system reform (45%), consumer protection (44%) and education reform (29%), she added.

Up to 70% of citizens believe that joining the Schengen white list is of huge importance, and as many think that the implementation of European standards is very important in everyday life.

Belgrade, Dec 19, 2009 – Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic stated today that the Serbian government has decided to apply for EU candidacy by the end of this year.

Sweden, as the country holding the EU presidency, will decide on when Serbia will be able to make the fomal application for the EU candidacy.

With this decision, Serbia has paved its path for the next period and shown that it shares the aspirations of European states, the Prime Minister said after the government session, which was also attended by Serbian President Boris Tadic.

On behalf of the Serbian government, Tadic and i Cvetkovic signed the application for Serbia's EU candidacy and the Serbian government's Memorandum on Serbia's EU candidacy application.

The President and the Prime Minister said that today is a big and solemn day for Serbia.

The decision to apply for EU candidacy is the final step in the current phase of Serbia's European integration which, if Serbia's candidacy is accepted, will open a new chapter in Serbia's efforts to join the European family of nations.

Sweden presides over the EU until January 1, 2010, when the office will be taken over by Spain.

Belgrade, Dec 19, 2009 – The European Integration Council, chaired by Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic held a session today at which it proposed to the government to submit an application for Serbia's EU candidacy by the end of this year.

This decision was made by the Council in view of the fact that EU membership is Serbia’s long-term strategic goal and taking into account positive evaluation of Serbia’s progress presented in the recently published documents by the European Commission – the 2009/2010 Enlargement Strategy and the Report on Serbia’s progress in the process of European integration in 2009.

The Council welcomed the efforts which the Serbian authorities made in fulfilling requirements for the abolishment of tourist visas and unfreezing of the interim trade agreement between the European Union and Serbia.

The Council urged the Serbian government to continue with intensive efforts to complete cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in order to enable further progress of Serbia towards the EU.

The Serbian government founded the European Integration Council in 2002, as the supreme body for giving strategic guidelines and creating the national consensus regarding Serbia’s EU accession.

This session was the Council’s eight session since its foundation, and the third during the mandate of the current government. Today’s session was attended by Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Belgrade, Dec 19, 2009 – The European Integration Council, chaired by Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic held a session today at which it proposed to the government to submit an application for Serbia's EU candidacy by the end of this year.

This decision was made by the Council in view of the fact that EU membership is Serbia’s long-term strategic goal and taking into account positive evaluation of Serbia’s progress presented in the recently published documents by the European Commission – the 2009/2010 Enlargement Strategy and the Report on Serbia’s progress in the process of European integration in 2009.

The Council welcomed the efforts which the Serbian authorities made in fulfilling requirements for the abolishment of tourist visas and unfreezing of the interim trade agreement between the European Union and Serbia.

The Council urged the Serbian government to continue with intensive efforts to complete cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), in order to enable further progress of Serbia towards the EU.

The Serbian government founded the European Integration Council in 2002, as the supreme body for giving strategic guidelines and creating the national consensus regarding Serbia’s EU accession.

This session was the Council’s eight session since its foundation, and the third during the mandate of the current government. Today’s session was attended by Serbian President Boris Tadic.

On 3 December 2009, the European Commission and the Serbian authorities held a meeting to review the latest developments in the areas of movement of workers, social policy and education. The European Commission welcomed reforms that are being carried out but it stressed that further efforts are needed in these sectors. In the context of the present global economic crisis, an appropriate social protection policy for most vulnerable parts of population, as well as measures aimed at improving education and employment policies are of particular importance.

The meeting on movement of workers, social cooperation and human resource development is part of the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue (EPD) which is a well-established mechanism of policy dialogue between the European Commission and Serbian authorities.

The Serbian authorities reported on the developments in the equal treatment of workers, in the coordination of social security systems and on labour legislation and its implementation which needs to be further aligned with the EU legislation.

Concerning gender equality and the fight against discrimination, the European Commission welcomed recent progress but stressed the importance of effective implementation and further alignment.

As regards social dialogue, the European Commission stressed the need for further improvements, in particular with regards to effective tripartite social dialogue, development of bipartite social dialogue and establishment of social dialogue at local level.

In the area of education, the emphasis was put on the reforms at all levels of education, notably on higher education and implementation of the Bologna process in Serbia. Moreover, the European Commission emphasised the importance of developing appropriate education programs to match the demand of the labour market.

Particular attention was drawn to the need to ensure social protection and social inclusion in Serbia in the period of the economic crisis which affects in particular the most vulnerable parts of the population.

As regards youth policy, Serbian authorities presented the 2009 Action Plan to implement the National Youth Strategy. The European Commission welcomed the efforts undertaken and good inter-ministerial cooperation regarding youth.

The meeting also dealt with the participation of Serbia in various Commission programmes, such as PROGRESS (on social issues) and TEMPUS.

The Economic Dialogue between the EU and Serbia is an important part of the wider Enhanced Permanent Dialogue (EPD).

The European Commission's experts welcomed indications of a gradual economic recovery that may result in a lower than initially projected fall in GDP. The Serbian authorities informed the meeting about the easing of inflationary pressures and the lower than initially foreseen current account deficit.

The European Commission took note of the measures on the expenditure side, like the freeze in pensions and wages in the public sector, as well as the rationalisation of the public administration. The European Commission stressed that this rationalisation should be carefully implemented in order not to endanger administrative capacity in areas related to European integration.

On the monetary policy side, the European Commission welcomed the sound and resilient position of the Serbian banking sector throughout the crisis. The European Commission noted the National Bank of Serbia’s efforts to continue to focus on inflation targeting, while at the same time, continuing to closely monitor financial stability.

The completion of the delayed privatisation of socially-owned companies, further moves in the privatisation of state-owned companies and improvements in the overall business environment remain crucial for raising investment and employment.

Government of the Republic of Serbia passed the Report on Implementation of the National Programme for Integration with the European Union (NPI) for the period July-September 2009. According to the results of this report, which was drafted by the European Integration Office, the fulfillment of NPI in the third quarter of the year was 96 per cent. Out of 81 planned, 78 acts were adopted. The Government passed nine law proposals out of 13 planned, whereby its plan was 69% fulfilled. The National Assembly adopted 20 laws, thus fulfilling 222% of its commitments (20/9), which resulted from the adoption of law proposals shifted from the previous quarters.

As regards the by-laws, the Government adopted 8 out of 10 decrees and strategies planned i.e.80 per cent, whereas the ministries adopted 50 out of 58 planned rulebooks. Observing exclusively the Government’s commitments regarding the adoption of law proposals and by-laws, statistics indicates 83% of success, having in mind that 67 acts were passed out of 81 planned.

Measured by the European Commission's criterion “act adopted - measure implemented”, the most successful institutions with more than 80% of commitments realized are: Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-government, Ministry of Economy and Regional Development, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technological Development, as well as the Republic Statistical Office. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Ministry of Mining and Energy and Republic Agency for Telecommunicationshave also fulfilled their commitments to a significant degree.

The ministries that were overloaded with the number of commitments (planned, delayed or realized in advance) are: Ministry of Finance- 31 act, Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning - 18, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management - 12, Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society – five and Ministry of Economy and Regional Development – four acts.

The overall fulfillment of the National Programme from July to September 2009 was 79 percent, as 186 act was adopted out of 229 planned. The number of laws planned for adoption was 117, whereof 87 were adopted i.e. 74 percent. Out of 112 by-laws planned, 99 were adopted i.e. 88percent.

Beside its contribution to harmonisation of Serbian legislation with the EU acquis communautaire, application of the adopted acts significantly boosts various social and economic areas of importance for citizens’ everyday life. Thus, for instance, the new Law on the Protection of Competition precisely defines the area of market competition; the Law on the State Aid Control introduces a pioneer regulation of subsidizing and ensures non-discriminatory allocation of subsidies. The laws on transfusion activities and cell and tissue transplantationintroduce new standards in line with the modern medicinal trends in the relevant areas.

The Swedish EU Presidency, Ambassador of Sweden H.E. Krister Bringéus, Minister of Environment Oliver Dulić and Ambassador of Denmark H.E. Mette Kjuel Nielsen, will make an official visit to Niš on Wednesday 7 October 2009. The visit is a part of the EU Outreach Programme, co-ordinated by the Swedish EU Presidency in Belgrade.

The Outreach Programme engages a series of outreach visits to different municipalities in Serbia with a focus on environmental issues. The visits will be carried out during the Swedish EU Presidency by the EU embassies accredited to the Republic of Serbia.

The need for greater environmental protection is steadily growing in Serbia today. Approximately 40% of EU acquis that Serbia needs to adopt as a condition for EU membership concerns ecology and environment. Therefore the purpose of these visits is to inform about the essences of EU in the field of environment and create a dialogue on the environmental challenges, encouraging Serbia on its way to EU membership.

The new Head of the European Commission Delegation to Serbia, H.E. Vincent DEGERT presented his Letter of Accreditation to the President of the Republic of Serbia, H. E. Boris TADIC today. Mr. Degert has stressed that his mission is to assist Serbia in its endeavour to join the EU and to reinforce the relations between the two parties.

“We firmly believe that Serbia’s rightful place is within the family of democratic European countries and as soon as possible, when conditions are right, as a full member of the EU. As demonstrated by all past experiences, enlargement brings benefits both to the Union and to acceding states. There is now a growing consensus in the EU about the need to deepen EU-Serbia relations. The next major step forward should be the full implementation of the interim agreement. I hope that continued progress in relation to co-operation with the ICTY will enable this to happen sooner rather than later. Another major step should be – and I am convinced will be – made with visa liberalisation, which will allow people, culture and ideas to travel without restrictions. “ Degert said.
The Delegation of the European Commission to Serbia is the third largest delegation of the Commission in the world, which itself is a sign of the European Commission’s commitment to Serbia

The European Commission through its Delegation in Belgrade accompanies and supports Serbia’s European integration process and the implementation of the necessary reforms. From the EU budget alone, the Commission with its Member States is investing a billion Euros to support the preparation for accession and the reform of the state and economy.
Ambassador Degert assumes his post in Belgrade after spending four years as Head of Delegation in Zagreb. He has nine years of knowledge and expertise working on enlargement out of his 22 years of working experience at the Commission. He holds masters degrees in political sciences, European affairs and law and a post-graduate diploma in political sciences.

Born in Strasbourg in 1960, he is married and has 4 children.

Belgrade, June 18, 2009 – Director of the EU Integration Office Milica Delevic today stated that almost 61% of Serbian citizens support Serbia’s EU integration.

At a press conference presenting the results of the survey concerning Serbian citizens’ stance regarding Serbia’s EU integration, carried out in May, Delevic said that although some decrease has been recorded, a majority of citizens still believe that Serbia’s future lies within the EU.

She said that 17% of citizens would vote against Serbia’s EU membership and 14% would refrain from voting at the moment.

According to the survey 82% of citizens believe that visa liberalisation is of great importance for our country, 10% think that it is not important at all and 8% do not have any opinion on the issue.

Delevic explained that that since last December nothing has changed but since 2002 citizens’ support for Serbia’s EU integration has fallen to the lowest level.

The greatest support was recorded in December 2003, she said.

As for the average speed of Serbia’s EU integration process on a scale of 1–7, citizens believe that Serbia is moving towards the EU with an average speed of 2.6 and should move much faster, i.e. 4.7.

A majority of Serbian citizens, 76% of them, are aware that cooperation with the Hague tribunal is a condition for EU integration while 21% think that the Kosovo issue is an obstacle.

A total of 66% citizens think that the EU will impose new conditions for Serbia while 24% said that the conditions are clearly defined, she said noting that 11% gave no answer.

Delevic said that 17% hope that visas will be abolished this year, 27% think this will happen in 2010, 20% think this will take place in 2011 while 12% think that visas will be never be abolished.

49% said visa liberalisation matters to them while 33% said visa abolition is not important while 85% said they did not travel to the Schengen zone last year.

52% expect that life in the EU will make life better for the young, 44% expect better employment, and 40% hope to travel to the EU, while 30% see EU integration as a chance to settle the situation in Serbia

Belgrade/Brussels, June 12, 2009 – The EU Integration Office stated that a meeting of EU and Serbian government representatives took place in Brussels today marking the end of the second stage of the dialogue on Serbia’s visa liberalisation.

The statement adds that the European Commission presented its report on the fulfilment of criteria from the roadmap for visa liberalisation.

Based on the results so far, as well as stances of EU members with whom the harmonisation process is underway, the EU Commissioners for Justice and Enlargement, Jacques Barrot and Olli Rehn, intend to send a proposal to the EU Council by end-July asking that visa regime be abolished for Serbia from January 1, 2010.

Serbia and the European Commission will continue monitoring the implementation of the criteria from the roadmap, adds the statement.

Stabilisation and Association Agreement(the Agreement) has been signed with the European Union exactly one year ago. It is a comprehensive contracting relation with clearly defined bilateral obligations. Although the application of the Interim Trade Agreement and commencement of Agreement ratification are waiting for “the green light” of EU Council of Ministers, Serbian Government formally started implementing the trade side of the Agreement from 30 January 2009.

The implementation of the Agreement is highly important for Serbia, since its fundamental economic element is establishment of free trade zone between Serbia and the EU. The European Union is not only a market with half a billion of consumers, but also our traditionally most important economic partner, as more than a half of our trade with the world(56%) is carried out with the EU. If one bears in mind that CEFTA countries, that have the European perspective as well, are second largest export market for Serbia, it is easily deduced that in the future more than 80% of Serbian export will be directed towards the EU member states.

Even if the EU has not yet started with the formal implementation of the Agreement, Serbian products have privileged treatment in the European market. Namely, since November2000 the EU started implementing free trade regime towards Serbia. In that way, Serbian business entities have not been paying customs and other export duties while exporting to the EU countries for eight years now. The level of thus generated savings is reflected in the fact that our traders would have had expenditures in amount of385 million euro in the previous year only if there was no preferential treatment. It means that in previous eight years, Serbian exporters have saved total of2 billion euro. Owing to this type of treatment for Serbian products and the overall economic reforms implemented in the country, Serbian export to the EU in2008 has, in comparison to2001,increased by265%.

Precise effects of implementation of trade Agreement from our side cannot be evaluated yet, as it has been just two months since the implementation started. Prices of some products have naturally decreased(cars, various equipment), but besides implementation of the Agreement, this was caused by economic crisis as well. For the previous two months, the loss due to unpaid customs tax for import from the EU is10 million euro. In the same period, the level of direct foreign investment from the European Union has reached the value of165 million euro. Only in the last two weeks the investments announced by Dutch Heineken and VDL, German Leoni and Slovenian Merkur are ten times higher than the loss resulting from customs decrease.

By signing the Agreement, the harmonisation of national legislation with the European has become one of the contractual commitments. With this in mind, in the last trimester of previous and the first three months of this year, the Government of Serbia has adopted72 laws that areeitherdirectly or indirectly linked with the European integration process. Laws in the field of customs policy, protection of competition, state aid control, public procurement, standards and technical regulations were adopted or amended. In this list we should include numerous regulations adopted in the aim of moving Serbia towards the White Schengen list, which means that citizens could travel without visas to all Schengen countries.

Simultaneouslywith the commencement of the Agreement implementation, the process of reporting on realisation of the National Programme for Integration with the EU has started, as it represents the programme for SAA implementation monitoring the legislative reforms essential for the European integration process. Second quarterly report has been presented recently. It demonstrates that from January to March 2009, more than 53% of the planned “European” regulations have been adopted.

Finally, the signing of the Agreement and commencement of its implementation are significant steps along Serbia’s European path. This path leads towards organised, stable and more prosperous society, which makes it at least equally important as the final goal that we are striving for – full membership of Serbia in the EU.

Belgrade, 24 April 2009 – Government of Serbia adopted the Report on implementation of the National Programme for Integration with the European Union (NPI) for the period January–March 2009. According to the Report drafted by the European Integration Office, the realization of the National Programme in the first quarter was 53%, judging by the adopted laws and by-laws and considering the fact that 36 regulations were adopted out of 68 planned.

National Assembly adopted 22 percent of the laws envisaged by the National Programme (out of 36 planned 8 were adopted), whereas the Government adopted 24 out of 28 planned by-laws i.e. 86%. The ministries adopted all of the envisaged by-laws and their achievement is 100%.

As regards the laws, out of 36 planned, Government set out 23 proposal laws, whereas National Assembly adopted 8. In percentage terms, the Assembly adopted 35% of the submitted proposals. If we observe the ratio between planned and realized legislative commitments within the Government’s competence, the output of executive authorities is 64%, including several activities planned for subsequent quarters, whereby the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning fulfilled their commitments in advance.

The ministries which were particularly overwhelmed by the high number of planned legislation have met all of their commitments from the previous period – Ministry of Justice proposed 8 laws which were enacted by the National Assembly and which were Serbia’s commitment under the roadmap for Serbia’s visa liberalization with the EU. Furthermore, the Government adopted all 10 regulations and strategies from the competence of the Ministry of Health, while three acts of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy have also passed the relevant procedure.

The comparison of the efficiency of Government and National Assembly in the two reporting periods indicates significant progress in terms of overall NPI fulfillment. In the period July – December 2008, this percentage was 29% and in the first quarter of 2009 it is 53%. National Assembly is at the same level of success with 35% of adopted proposals of “European” laws. Government diminished its output as it set out two thirds of the envisaged laws, while this percentage used to be 77 in the previous period. The percentage of success was primarily influenced by the high number of adopted by-laws.

Overall, in the previous nine months, in the period from July 2008 by end-March 2009, NPI realization is 47%. In the National Assembly, 28% of the submitted proposals were adopted, while the Government adopted 84% of by-laws and the ministries 86% of relevant acts.

However, the economic crisis has obvious impact on the planned legislative activities. The budget re-balance indicates that both the ministries and the Government are designing their action plans so as to adjust to the new economic circumstances, having in mind that the adoption of certain acts implies significant budget expenditures.

NPI represents a precise plan for meeting the criteria required for EU membership, starting from political and economic requirements through to detailed standards applied in the Union in the fields of trade, agriculture, environmental protection and infrastructure.

The aim of NPI is for state institutions to monitor their own progress in the EU association process in a clear and measurable manner. This second quarterly report covers legislative activities of the Government and National Assembly in the period from January until end-March 2009.

The Report on NPI implementation for the period January – March 2009, as well as the summary of this document are available on SEIO website www.seio.gov.rs.

Belgrade, April 21, 2009 - Despite of the complex financial situation, Government of Serbia decided to institute the process of coordinated translation of European legislation into Serbian language. With a view to that, the Government has, at its session of 16 April 2009, adopted the Information on Preparation of the Acquis Communautaire in Serbian Language. This Information elaborates the organization of translation process and stipulates the main actors. European Integration Office is the central coordination mechanism, while Republic Secretariat for Legislation, line ministries and other public administration bodies will carry out legal and expert review. A special Working group composed of members from all institutions involved will be in charge of final verification of the translated documents.

Acquis Communautaire in Serbian language will be prepared according to priorities established by the National Programme for Integration of the Republic of Serbia with the European Union (NPI), and which are based on priorities contained in Stabilisation and Association Agreement and on European Partnership recommendations. Action Plan for preparation of the Acquis Communautaire in Serbian language, which will be annually adopted by the Office, will set out the list of priorities, dynamics of the process and cost forecasting for the upcoming year.

In order to realize the process of translation in a most optimal manner, all line ministries and Secretariat for Legislation will appoint coordinators within their institution and such persons will be responsible for cooperation with the Department for Translation Coordination in the European Integration Office.

Following the adoption of Information, all public authorities will submit to the Department all previously translated acquis documents into Serbian, as well as translations of domestic legislation into English language. The Department will ensure their proper classification and coordinate legal, expert and language review

For achieving uniform quality of translated documents and sustainable use of optimal terminology in the area of European law, the Office will, in cooperation with the Republic Secretariat for Legislation, realize legal review of Manual for translation of the EU Acquis Communautaire into Serbian language.

Due to the excessive number of documents published in the Official Journal of the EU (currently cca. 200.000 OJ pages, with average annual increase of 3.000 tо 5.000 pages), the preparation of the EU acquis in any official language appeared as major translation project in most of the new member states.

In the context of regional cooperation, there were indications by Croatian officials regarding possible handover of Croatian translations to Serbian authorities. However, there have been no concrete measures in this sense so far.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia adopted regular report on the progress of our country in the EU integration process. The report states that all obligations arising from the Interim Trade Agreement with the EU (IA) are fulfilled in accordance with dynamics specified in the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), with exception of liberalisation of transit transport through the territory of Serbia for EU transporters. This will be carried out when the EU begins to implement the agreement.

The report, which was presented by the Serbian European Integration Office, stated that the total value of goods imported from the EU in February, the first month since the beginning of interim agreement implementation, was 550.6 million Euros. According to the data provided by the Ministry of Finance, the revenue of customs collected in February was 7.95 million Euros, which is only 3.83 million Euros less then if the transitional trade agreement were not to be implemented.

On 7 April, the European Commission informed all the exporters from the EU that Serbia began to apply the agreement, pointing to the advantages of marketing goods on the Serbian market, as well as the obligation to certify the origin of EU goods exported to the Serbian market.

The laws on competition protection and state aid, which according to the Decision concerning the implementation of the transitional trade agreement the Government is obliged to pass, have been forwarded to parliament. The adoption of other laws in the EU integration process is monitored on regular basis through the National Program of Integration (NPI). Report on the implementation of NPI during the first quarter of 2009 is in the preparation stage.

In regards to visa liberalisation, it is stressed in the report that expert missions, consisting of EU experts and European Commission representatives, entrusted with the task to assess conditions in Serbia with respect to the fulfilment of criteria, have finished their work.

The EU experts are currently preparing a report which the European Commission will rely on to present its assessment of whether the criteria have been fulfilled and on the basis of this estimation a decision will be made if the EU Council of Ministers should propose the removal of visa restrictions for Serbia or not.

Serbiais currently implementing projects financed by 2007 and 2008 IPA funds which is the usual dynamics of using IPA funds. A total of 36 projects valued at 40 million Euros were approved for 2007 for institution building and supporting transition.

The financial agreement concerning the use of IPA programme 2008 funds of 168 million Euros was signed on April 1 and the European Commission approved 37 projects in Serbia for 2008.

Planning of the first component of the IPA programme for 2009 is underway and it is possible that because of the global economic crisis and the anticipated deficit in the budget, according to a decision by the European Commission funds could be redirected to support the budget.

The monthly reports on Serbia’s EU integration progress contain information about the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the implementation of the National European Integration Programme, visa liberalisation, the distribution of IPA programme funds, the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue with the EU, contributions to the European Commission’s annual report and preparation of translation of the acquis communautaire into Serbian.

Belgrade, 10 April, 2009

At a press conference held at the government building, Delevic recalled that the twinning project “Capacity Building of Public Administration in EU Integration Process” is EU instrument for strengthening state administrations of countries wishing to join the EU.


She explained that the aims of the projects are to help non-EU member states to exchange experiences with countries which have already joined the EU and to synchronise their laws with EU legislation.


Head of the European Commission Delegation to Serbia Josep Lloveras pointed out that the twining project is the longest, most complicated and the most successful project ever implemented in Serbia, specifying that 50 French and Slovene experts participated.


Lloveras said that the national programme of European integration should be a catalyst that will mobilise the energy and consensus in the EU integration process.


Project manager for Slovenia Andrej Engelman said that Serbian administration and all structures are now ready to complete the negotiating process for EU integration.


Although administrative capacities were good, a lot of progress has been made and Serbia is now well prepared for next steps in the European integration, said Engelman.

Belgrade, March 20, 2009 – Director of the government’s Office for EU Integration Milica Delevic and State Secretary in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration Bjanka Matkovic signed a Protocol on cooperation in the EU integration process.

Protocol was signed following the meeting between Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader. At a joint press conference Cvetkovic said that certain disputed issues are soon to be solved, and others will be delayed in future, adding that is of vital importance that the countries improve relations.

The Serbian Prime Minister pointed out that Serbian and Croatian stances greatly differ regarding the Serbian territorial integrity and sovereignty, Croatia’s endorsement of the unilaterally declared Kosovo independence and the charges for genocide Croatia and Serbia have pressed against the other country.

Sanader said that although the recent past cannot be forgotten, we must not live in the past, adding that the two sides also discussed energy cooperation.

He recalled that Croatia will join NATO on April 3, noting that it will support Serbia on its EU road.

Tomorrow, when we become a NATO member, we will support our neighbours bearing in mind that if our neighbours are well off, we will be well off too, Sanader said.

The Croatian delegation also comprises Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Damir Polancec, Deputy Prime Minister for Regional Development, Reconstruction and Return Slobodan Uzelac and Minister of Culture Bozo Biskupic.

After the meeting of the two prime ministers, Director of the government’s Office for EU Integration Milica Delevic and State Secretary in the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Integration Bjanka Matkovic signed a Protocol on cooperation in the EU integration process.

Serbian Minister of Education Zarko Obradovic and his Croatian colleague Bozo Biskupic signed a Memorandum on cooperation in the areas of language and literature.

Representatives of Croatian companies Ina, Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, Janaf and Plinakro also arrived as part of the Croatian delegation.

The meeting with the Croatian delegation was also attended by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Regional Development Mladjan Dinkic, Minister of Human and Minority Rights Svetozar Ciplic, Minister of Culture Nebojsa Bradic, Minister of Education Zarko Obradovic and Director of the government Office for EU Integration Milica Delevic.

Belgrade, 5 February 2009- In its today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Serbia has adopted the Report on implementation of the National Programme for Integration with the European Union (NPI). The NPI is a precise plan for fulfillment of all requirements necessary for a country’s accession to the EU, starting from political and economic criteria to the detailed standards applied in the Union in the areas such as trade, agriculture, environmental protection, infrastructure.

The objective of NPI is for state institutions to monitor their own progress in the EU association process in a measurable and clear manner. This report, the first among the upcoming series of regular quarterly reports, includes the legislative activities of the Government and the Assembly in the period from July until end-December 2008.

According to the results from the Report drafted by the European Integration Office according to the adopted laws and by-laws, the National Programme is realized 29%, as 26 regulations were adopted out of the envisaged 89.

Serbian Government defined 49 out of the envisaged 64 laws, whereas National Parliament adopted 17 laws out of the above 49 laws contained in the NPI.

As regards the by-laws, 7 out of 20 regulations from the Government competence /regulations, decisions, strategies, Budget Memorandum, conclusions/ were adopted, while ministries adopted 2 regulations out of 5 envisaged for adoption in the reference period.

If we observe the ratio of planned and realized legislative requirements, which are in the Government competence, the executive authorities realized its commitments with 66 percent.

The ministries, which were particularly overwhelmed with numerous legislation foreseen and which realized such commitments in a high percentage are the Ministry of Finance, Justice Ministry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, as well as Ministry for Infrastructure and Ministry for Environment and Spatial Planning.

If we compare the efficiency of the Government and National Assembly in realization of the National Programme for Integration with the EU and previous action plans for harmonization of Serbian legislation with EU regulations, prepared between 2003 and 2007, the country made a clear progress in legislative activity since mid- 2008. This percentage, measured by the number of laws adopted in the Assembly, reached maximum 24% in the period 2003-2007, whereas in the second half of 2008 it was 29%.

“In May 2008, a greater number of citizens supported the EU accession, but the expectations were really high at the moment as significant investments came to our country”, said Delevic, during the presentation held on poll “European perspectives of Serbian citizens – trends”, carried out by Serbian European Integration Office.

She mentioned that, besides Croatia, citizens of all countries in the region mostly support European integration.

“Croatia is the most advanced in the process of European integration, but its citizens now realize that they will not only benefit from it, as one needs to give up many things and change the habits as well”, emphasises Delevic.

Citizens of Serbia are not content with the speed of Serbian path to the European Union (EU) and in the scale from one to seven the average grade in the poll is 2.5.

Delevic has explained that the results of the poll indicate how citizens understand that the EU accession is a long process, and that 51 percent of citizens who participated in the poll see the path “to better future of young people” as the main benefit of the EU membership.

Forty nine percent of citizens who participated in the poll have estimated that “policy of constant conditioning and blackmail that EU applies towards Serbia” in a great extent complicates Serbian accession to the EU, as twenty percent of participants in the poll believe that it is due to the “incapacity of national leadership”.

Eighty six percent of the participants specified that cooperation with the Hague is the most important condition of Serbian accession to the EU, and for forty seven percent of citizens who participated in the poll that condition is acceptable.

Yet, sixty two percent of the citizens who participated in the poll believe that the EU constantly sets up new conditions for Serbia.

“Best articulated goal of our citizens is for Serbia to enter White Schengen List, although in the previous year 83 percent of citizens who participated in the poll did not travel to countries with visa regime for Serbia”, highlighted Delevic and said that White Schengen List for citizens of Serbia represents “a proof of acceptance and promotion of self-respect.”

Youth people in Serbia, as Delevic has said, have significantly positive attitude towards the EU, and young people aged 18 – 29 expect the most personal benefit from European integration.

Brussels, 6 November 2007 – Stabilization and Association Agreement between European Union and Serbia is to be initialled tomorrow in Brussels, said EU Commissioner Mr Oli Rehn to media representatives today, as broadcasted by Beta Agency.

Mr Rehn observed that “these are good new for Serbia”, and that Mrs Carla del Ponte, Chief Prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal, expressed an estimate that political will in Belgrade exists, and that efforts in locating and arresting fugitives have strengthened.

European Commissioner also informed that, after discussions with Carla del Ponte “during last few weeks and days”, he has decided that Agreement in Serbia would be initialled tomorrow, in the central office of the European Commission.

Mr Rehn emphasized that full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is a must, in order for Serbia to sign the Agreement.

`It’s a turning point for Serbia”, said Mr Rehn.