Agreement reached on Croatian cigarette exports to Serbia

The talks between the European Commission and the Serbian negotiating team on technical adaptation saw a breakthrough 15 October in reaching an agreement on keeping the traditional trade flows

The talks between the European Commission and the Serbian negotiating team on technical adaptation saw a breakthrough 15 October in reaching an agreement on keeping the traditional trade flows, including the export of Croatian cigarettes to Serbia.

In the Serbia Progress Report published today, the European Commission underlined that the interim Stabilisation and Association Agreement continued to be implemented without a hitch and that agreement had been reached in regard to amending trade regulations from the SAA, taking into account Croatia’s EU membership, in order to maintain the traditional trade flows.

The negotiations were brought to a close as early as June this year, except for the issue of the export product important to Croatia – cigarettes, which Serbia wanted to leave for a later period. Croatia did not find this proposal acceptable and demanded that no Croatian product encompassed by the traditional trade methodology be left out of the negotiations. In the end, the efforts of all the parties involved have led to an agreement which we believe would benefit both sides. Croatia appreciates the European Commission’s active involvement, as well as Serbia’s cooperativeness, in order to reach a quality and mutually satisfactory solution.

The solution to this issue has been worked on intensively since the negotiations mandate was adopted in September 2012. The EU Council then authorized the European Commission to negotiate on behalf of the member states the signing of additional protocol along with Serbia’s SAA that would allow for Croatia’s EU membership.

The European Commission, in close cooperation with Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which has recently assumed the competence over trade policy, has conducted the negotiations based on data and arguments provided by the Croatian side. The progress made yesterday therefore demonstrates the importance of synergy between foreign and trade policy, as well as the effectiveness and concrete results it brings in practice. 

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