The text of the agreement was harmonised with the exception of two minor sections at the request of the Serbian delegation, Vrankovic said, adding that those two sections were not expected to postpone the pace envisaged for the signing of the agreement.
The two sections refer to the revocation of customs duties on some products for which Serbia requested a three-year transitional period.
Vrankovic said the Serbs were given three weeks to settle the dilemmas at internal consultations and that the agreement on the enlargement of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) was expected to be initialled on November 9 and signed in early December.
After Bulgaria and Romania leave CEFTA upon joining the European Union on January 1, 2007, Croatia and Macedonia would be joined by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, and Moldova. By joining CEFTA, these five countries would commit to behaving in accordance with World Trade Organisation rules.