BELGRADE BELGRADE, Oct 7 (Hina) - More than 200 representatives of companies, ministries, embassies and non-government organisations gathered in Belgrade on Monday for a two-day regional business forum focusing on trade liberalisation
in South-East Europe.
BELGRADE, Oct 7 (Hina) - More than 200 representatives of
companies, ministries, embassies and non-government
organisations gathered in Belgrade on Monday for a two-day regional
business forum focusing on trade liberalisation in South-East
Europe. #L#
Participants in the conference will summarise and try to speed up
the implementation of the June 2001 Memorandum on the
Liberalisation of Trade and Trade Incentives for the region, the
purpose of which, among other things, is the signing of bilateral
agreements on trade liberalisation until the end of the year.
Objections presented at the forum refer mostly to border
procedures, customs and non-customs barriers, the visa regime and
the interfering of politics with economy.
Yugoslav Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic repeated that
Yugoslavia was open to cooperation and that he believed that all
free trade agreements would be signed according to plan, which
would make South-East Europe a region of economic cooperation with
a market of 55 million.
The Special Co-ordinator of the Stability Pact for South-East
Europe, Erhard Busek, said that much had been done but activities
should continue since failure to sign free trade agreements would
send a bad signal to the European Union.
Addressing the forum, Croatia's Assistant Economy Minister Olgica
Spevec said that negotiations between Croatia and Yugoslavia on
free trade had come to a stalemate. She called on Yugoslav
colleagues to resume talks as soon as possible.
(hina) rml