25 November 2013 The participants of the Conference

25 November 2013 The participants of the Conference

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

National Assembly Delegation at 8th COSAP

A delegation of the National Assembly took part in the 8th Conference of the European Integration Parliamentary Committees of States Participating in the Stabilization and Association Process in South-East Europe (COSAP), held on 24 and 25 November 2013 in Skopje.


The Conference was organised by the Assembly (Sobranie) of the Republic of Macedonia, and the National Assembly delegation comprised European Integration Committee members Dragan Sormaz and Karolj Cizik.

In addition to the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, the Conference was attended by representatives of the parliaments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia, as well as representatives of the European Union delegation to the Republic of Macedonia, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Westminster Foundation for Democracy and the National Democratic Institute and the ambassadors of Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey to Macedonia.

The participants of the Conference exchanged experiences and discussed various topic of importance for the European integration process of the countries in the region.

In the course of the discussion on “The role of national parliaments and parliamentary committees on European integration in the best use of pre-accession assistance instruments IPA II – (2014-2020)” the representatives of the National Assembly stressed that Serbia has used 98% of the IPA funds for the period 2007-2013.

In the course of the discussion on “Visa liberalisation? European Parliament Resolution on the European Parliament and Council Regulation proposal amending Council regulation (EC) 539/2009 which lists third countries whose citizens need to be in possession of visas when crossing outside borders and countries whose citizens are exempt from the requirement”, it was stressed that the measures necessary to reduce the number of false asylum-seekers are being duly implemented. Dragan Sormaz said that a great many Serbian citizens have applied for voluntary return, meaning that they are abandoning their requests for asylum and waiting to return to the country.

The participants of the discussion on “The functioning of the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), experiences and challenges” agreed that the Agreement contributes to strengthening regional cooperation and provides an excellent framework for the signatory states as preparation for their meeting the economic criteria for European Union membership. The representatives of the National Assembly said that regional trade makes up, on average, about 17% or overall trade in the region, that the trade among the CEFTA states is less influenced by the crisis and has recently begun to recover quicker than the trade with the EU, adding that for the Republic of Serbia the CEFTA market is the second most important market, preceded only by the European Union market.

In the course of the discussion on “How to get closer to the EU? Discussion on the EU Enlargement Strategy (2013-2014) and progress reports on Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo* and Turkey”, the representatives of the European Union commended the adopted Agreement on Normalisation of Relations between Belgrade and Pristina and Serbia’s dedication to the realisation of that goal. They also gave a positive assessment of Serbia’s progress which resulted in its gaining the status of European Union associated country.

It was agreed that the 9th Conference of the European Integration Parliamentary Committees of States Participating in the Stabilization and Association Process in South-East Europe (COSAP) be held in Montenegro.

The participants of the 8th Conference adopted a Joint Statement.



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friday, 29 march
  • 9.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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