Ministers call for abolition of “discriminatory measures” - Meeting with Croatian officials this week

At a meeting in Sarajevo, ministers of Serbia, B&H, Montenegro and Macedonia agreed on seven points regarding the trade measures of Croatia for agricultural products for third countries and signed a joint letter to be sent to the European Commission.

Ministers Mirko Sarovic, Rasim Ljajic, Dragica Sekulic and Ljupco Nikolovski invited Croatia to abolish the discriminatory measures and harmonize them with the market standards, as well as to bring the prices of inspection controls in line with the average amounts which are in effect in the countries of the region and the EU.

The ministers requested an urgent meeting with the competent Croatian minister regarding this issue. They believe that the meeting should take place by the end of this week in Podgorica. Croatian Minister of Agriculture Tomislav Tolusic accepted the invitation, Tanjug reports.

The ministers agreed at the meeting in Sarajevo that Croatia's measures jeopardized the rules and principles of the World Trade Organization and the Stabilization and Association Agreement, which prohibit discrimination, and advocated regular meetings of this kind. The next one will be held this September in Skopje.

The European Commission was invited to get involved in solving this issue, and it was also agreed for Montenegro and Macedonia to initiate, as members of the WTO, certain mechanisms within that organization.

Until a solution is reached with Croatia, the ministers agreed for each country to carry out measures to the end of protection of their own interests on their own accord.

Let us remind that Serbia, B&H, Montenegro and Macedonia are affected by the Croatian decision on the new regulations, according to which the fee for inspection supervision or control and each individual type of fruit and vegetable amounts to HRK 2,000 (EUR 270), whereas it used to be HRK 90 (EUR 12).

On Friday, August 4, Serbia implemented rigorous control of products from Croatia, and the lab testing procedure takes 30 days.

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

World Trade Organization Geneva

Ministry of Trade of Serbia

fees for export of fruit and vegetables to Croatia

export to Croatia

import from Croatia

tariffs for phytosanitary supervision of fruit and vegetables imported to Croatia

Summit of representatives of Serbia Bosnia and Herzegovina Macedonia and Montenegro

EU Stabilization and Association Agreement

World Trade Organization principles

WTO

World Trade Organization

export of fruit to Croatia

export of vegetables to Croatia

Mirko Sarovic

Rasim Ljajic

Dragica Sekulic

Ljupco Nikolovski