State Secretary at the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Vesna Kovač said at the “Serbia on the World Map” conference on enforcement of intellectual property rights, which was held at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce in Belgrade, that the project of protection of intellectual property is financed from the EU’s IPA funds and is implemented by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications in cooperation with the Danish Patent and Trademark Office and the United Kingdom’s Trading Standards North West.

The EU’s support through this project amounts to EUR 2.8 million and is intended to strengthen the administrative capacity of the competent authorities in Serbia within the Twinning Project, as well as to strengthen the technical capacities of the administration, through a separate contract on procurement of machines for destroying counterfeit and pirated goods, said Kovač.

At the conference, which was organized on April 27 to mark the World Intellectual Property Day, Kovač said that the Ministry is participating actively in the prevention of counterfeiting and piracy by creating a favorable business environment, through the development of competition, protection of legitimate trade and consumer protection.

The “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights” project is of great importance for the Ministry as the main beneficiary, said Kovač, adding that in addition to the Market Inspectorate, the beneficiaries of the project include the Customs Administration in the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Interior, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Serbia.

Michael Davenport, Head of the Delegation of the EU to the Republic of Serbia said that the protection of intellectual property rights in Serbia is not satisfactory, and that this area will continue to be the focus in the negotiations with the European Union.

He noted that Serbia’s administrative capacity in the institutions dealing with the protection of intellectual property rights is good but that more needs to be done to apply the relevant laws and regulations in practice.

Davenport said that the Market Inspection, Customs Administration, Tax Administration and the courts should be more efficient in implementing the rules in that field in practice, adding that the current level of protection of intellectual property in Serbia is not satisfactory, and that by 2018 this area should comply with EU standards.

He stated that the continuation of harmonization will be carried out in the framework of negotiations with the EU in chapter seven, adding that he applauds the efforts of the Serbian government in the fight against gray economy in the area.

H. E. Michael Borg-Hansen, Ambassador of Denmark to the Republic of Serbia said that counterfeiting and piracy are a major problem for the society in general and are far from being a victimless crime.

It causes great damage to the economy, but also carries security risks for the society, he said, adding that part of the counterfeit goods is linked to organized crime.

Stressing the importance of intellectual property protection, he cited the example of his country, which, he said, 50 years ago was an agricultural country, and now lives of service based on knowledge and innovation.

At the conference organized by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia and the Delegation of the EU to Serbia, which is an integral part of the Twinning Project financed by the EU with a budget of EUR 1.3 million, with the aim of improving the enforcement of IPRs in Serbia, the consequences of counterfeiting and piracy were presented by eminent speakers from Serbia and abroad.

In addition to the Twinning Project, the EU donated EUR 1.5 million for the purchase of three machines for destroying counterfeit goods, and financially supported the campaign entitled “Counterfeits Cost More, I Buy Originals”, implemented by the Department of Market Inspection of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications and Expertise France with the aim of raising awareness among consumers about the risks of purchasing counterfeit products.