ZAGREB, Jan 14 (Hina) - The free trade agreement between Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro may go into force in the second quarter of 2004, Croatian Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Minister Branko Vukelic and a member of Serbia
and Montenegro's Council for Internal Economic Affairs, Amir Nurkovic, said in Zagreb on Wednesday at the signing of an agreement on changes to the free trade agreement.
ZAGREB, Jan 14 (Hina) - The free trade agreement between Croatia and
Serbia and Montenegro may go into force in the second quarter of 2004,
Croatian Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship Minister Branko Vukelic
and a member of Serbia and Montenegro's Council for Internal Economic
Affairs, Amir Nurkovic, said in Zagreb on Wednesday at the signing of
an agreement on changes to the free trade agreement.#L#
The changes refer to institutional changes in the neighbouring country
regarding the new state union of Serbia and Montenegro. The Free Trade
Agreement between Croatia and the former Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (FRY) was signed on 23 December 2002, but it still has not
taken effect because it was not ratified by the parliament of the
FRY.
Nurkovic expects that the parliament of Serbia and Montenegro will
ratify the law and the changes in March this year.
The Croatian parliament has already ratified the agreement and
Minister Vukelic expects that the changes will be ratified in
February.
The two ministers expect the agreement to go into force in the second
quarter of this year.
They said that at today's meeting they had confirmed their joint
position and the interest of both countries in improving economic
relations.
Bilateral trade in 2002 totalled 225 million dollars, and in the first
ten months of last year it amounted to 221 million dollars, an
increase of 18 percent compared to the same period the year before.
After his fist meeting with Croatia's new economy minister, Minister
Nurkovic said the first steps of the new Croatian government were
regarded benevolently in part of the public in Serbia and Montenegro
and guaranteed that the cooperation would continue.
He also voiced interest in solving a number of other issues, in
particular those regarding the visa regime. He was hopeful that the
decision enabling citizens of Serbia and Montenegro to enter Croatia
without visas would be extended.
In mid-December last year, the Croatian government adopted a decision
enabling citizens of Serbia and Montenegro to visit Croatia without
visas until 31 January this year.
(Hina) rml sb