Eight of the 10 countries which took part in negotiations on the Central European Free Trade Agreement initialled the agreement on 9 November in Brussels. Now, that Serbia also initialled the agreement, only Bosnia-Herzegovina has not put its signature on a document that will be signed at a summit in Bucharest on 19 December.
On 9 November, the agreement was initialled by Croatia, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo/Kosovo.
Bosnia-Herzegovina declined to sign the document, saying that it wanted a better solution for several agricultural products than the one it currently has in bilateral free trade agreements with Croatia and Serbia, wanting better protection for domestic goods.
Serbia wanted a better position for its tobacco industry than the one it has in bilateral free trade agreements with the other parties in the negotiations.
The agreement on the amended and enlarged CEFTA is expected to go into force by the summer of 2007.