Halaceva: PLAC III Helps Serbia’s Administration Advance through EU Laws, Standards

Plamena Halaceva (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

The deputy EU ambassador to Serbia, Plamena Halaceva, stated in Belgrade on March 26, during the presentation of results of the project of legal support to negotiations (PLAC III), that political issues were discussed more frequently in the process of accession to the Union, than the equally important technical aspects.

The goal of the completed PLAC III project was to accomplish a high level of alignment of national legislation with the EU acquis and the successful implementation of these regulations. The main user of the five-year project, worth EUR4.5 million, is the Serbian Ministry for European Integration and the direct users are other ministries and institutions. The realization of the PLAC III project began in 2019 and lasted, with two extensions, 60 instead of the planned 30 months.

The team leader of the PLAC III project, Andrej Engelman, stated that the project encompassed 14 negotiation chapters from five clusters, that 666 legal, strategic and other documents were created and 292 EU legal acts transferred. He also said that 189 experts from 20 countries were engaged in the project and that most of their work, as much as a quarter of work hours, was dedicated to Chapter 27 (environment).

Engelman stated that Serbia needed to intensify the transfer of the EU acquis because it was changing quickly. He also said that “much from the PLAC III project is still in the drawers because (further action) is no longer up to the administration, but to those who make decisions.” Engelman pointed out that one of the main problems for Serbia pertaining to harmonization with the EU acquis was the lack of people in administration, especially legal experts.