Brussels, 18/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 17 September, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle announced the start of the analytical examination of the acquis for Serbia next week. “As of next week, the European Commission and Serbia will launch the screening of the acquis - the analytical examination, chapter by chapter, of the entire EU legislation - a process which will span over some 18 to 21 months”, he said at the end of his meeting with the new Serbian minister in charge of European integration, Branko Ruzic, and the chief negotiator for the accession negotiations, Tanja Miscevic. Füle stated that, as previously announced in EUROPE, the screening will begin with Chapter 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights, on 25-26 September.
I am glad to see” that the Serbian government, now reshuffled, is “fully back at work and has reconfirmed the strategic priority its attaches to Serbia's European integration process”, Füle said, adding, however, that “we have a lot of challenges ahead of us”.
The stabilisation and association agreement with Serbia entered into force on 1 September (see EUROPE 10912). “In this new phase of relations between the EU and Serbia, the Serbian government will have the crucial task to coordinate and further develop efforts made across the administration on the EU agenda of reforms”, said Füle, calling on Serbia to review its position on the import of cigarettes from Croatia “urgently” - “which is blocking the adaptation of our trade arrangements that is needed because of the accession of Croatia to the EU”. (CG/transl.fl)