The Stabilisation and Association Council (SA Council) between Serbia and the European Union held its second meeting on 17 December 2014. The meeting was chaired by the Serbian side, by Jadranka Joksimović, Minister without portfolio for EU integration of Serbia. The EU Delegation was led by Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, and included Commissioner Johannes Hahn, a joint statement said.
The Council of the European Union welcomes the high level of preparedness and engagement demonstrated so far by the Serbian Government in the process of accession negotiations but urged Belgrade to maintain an active and constructive engagement in the normalisation process with Kosovo, a statement issued after the Council’s meeting said. EU has opened four new chapters in accession talks to Montenegro, bringing to 16 out of 35 number of sections open and confirming Podgorica’s leading position on the path towards EU membership.
Within the project “Providing durable housing solutions to forced migrants and returnees in Novi Pazar”, European Union and the City constructed five prefabricated houses and assigned seven grants of EUR1,500 to internally displaced persons to start their own businesses, as stated at project’s closing conference.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed a renewed approach to Bosnia and tasked Commissioner Johannes Hahn to secure Bosnia’s leadership written commitment to EU-required reforms, vowing to put into effect the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, it said in a statement.
Introducing the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS III) European Union enabled companies hailing from non-EU countries to engage in this process, highlighted the closing conference of the EU project “Law Enforcement in the field of Industrial Pollution Control, prevention of Chemical Accidents and establishing the EMAS system,” held at Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia. A quarter of total EU donations to Serbia is aimed at environmental protection.
Swiss Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia Jean-Daniel Ruch visited Tutin on 11 and 12 December to familiarise himself with the results of the projects the Swiss Government co-funded via the EU PROGRES Programme together with the European Union. His Excellency also familiarised himself with the municipality’s development potentials and confirmed that the Swiss Government would continue to support Tutin and the area via the new development programme, European PROGRES.
EU have followed the work of Rodoljub Sabic and his team very closely, and consider that Commissioner for Information of Public Importance ”showed the best way of fighting for implementation of European standards within areas crucial for respect of fundamental human rights,” said Head of teh EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport during the session of Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Information convened to mark the 10th anniversary of entry of Law on Information of Public Importance into force.
Elementary school “Posavski partizani“ in Obrenovac, heavily damaged during May floods, has been successfully reconstructed thanks to EU funds through EU Assistance for Flood Relief in Serbia Programme. The school was officially opened by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and EU Ambassador to Serbia Michael Davenport.
EU project “Strengthening of the Serbian system of market surveillance for non-food and food products” proved to be “vital for Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications’ capacities aimed at enabling better consumer protection and ensuring fair competition free of unnecessary trade restrictions,” said Assistant Minister and National Project Director Lidija Stojanovic at the project’s closing conference held in Belgrade.
The first house funded by the European Union is fully constructed in the Village of Krasava, Krupanj; reconstruction of 282 private houses in Krupanj, Obrenovac, Kraljevo, Osečina, Šabac, Bajina Bašta, Smederevska Palanka, Velika Plana, Čačak, Koceljeva and Paraćin is completed.
