The Fifth Subcommittee Meeting for Internal Market and Competition was held on April 29, in the Palace of Serbia. The meeting was chaired, on behalf of the Republic of Serbia, by Dušan Protić, assistant to the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications. The delegation of the European Commission was headed by Lui Hers from the Directorate General for Enlargement.

The Subcommittee for Internal Market and Competition, which is co-chaired by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, is one of six subcommittees for the implementation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Serbia, whose meetings are held once a year, to discuss the issue of implementation of the Agreement.

This was the Subcommittee’s first meeting after the entry into force of the Stabilization and Association Agreement in September 2013; therefore the agenda of the meeting of the Subcommittee were expanded to include topics previously discussed at the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue meetings. Representatives of relevant state institutions of the Republic of Serbia presented the situation in the field of intellectual property, competition and state aid, public procurement, the right of establishment and freedom to provide services, company law, accounting, auditing, financial services, public health and consumer protection.

After the presentation of the progress made since the previous meeting of the Subcommittee in March of last year, the representatives of Serbia answered the questions of the representatives of the European Commission, who also gave remarks and recommendations for further work.

The Annual Progress Report on Serbia, which the European Commission will prepare and publish in October, in addition to the screening meeting (analytical review of legislation) forthe negotiating chapters, will be the next opportunity to present Serbia’s progress in the process of accession to the European Union.