Working group on Chapter 20 holds first session

BELGRADE - The working group of the National Convention on the European Union (NC EU) for Chapter 20 - Enterprise and industrial policy - held its first session at the Serbian government.

"The working group is headed by Sanja Filipovic of the Economics Institute, and the course of negotiations on Chapter 20 was presented by officials of the European Integration Office, National Assembly, Ministry of Economy, and Serbian Chamber of Commerce. They pointed to the opportunities for Serbian economy to take part in entrepreneurship development programs of the EU," states the release issued by the Economics Institute.

The NC EU working group on Chapter 20 gathers more than 50 representatives of chambers of commerce, associations of entrepreneurs, employers, clusters, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

The aim of the group is to formulate recommendations for the promotion of entrepreneurship and development of industrial sector in Serbia, in line with the EU legal framework and best practice.

This chapter is closely connected to other chapters of the acquis communautaire, such as Free movement of goods and Competition policy, so the quality of negotiations on Chapter 20 will also depend on the alignment of regulations in these areas, the release notes.

The NC EU is a permanent body providing framework for a theme-based structured debate on Serbia's EU accession, bringing together the representatives of state administration, political parties, independent bodies, NGOs, experts, business, trade unions and professional organizations.

More than 20 civil society organizations initiated last May the formation of 21 NC EU working groups, aimed at monitoring the course of the negotiation...