Chamber of Commerce: Support from EU, Germany Key to Serbia’s EU Integration

Marko Cadez (BETAPHOTO/DRAGAN GOJIC)

The support of the European Union and Germany, strengthening the partnership with Europe's strongest economy and its speedy recovery are key to the process of Serbia's accession to the EU, which has been stagnating for years despite Serbia's impressive economic results and the fact that the Western Balkans' integration into the EU will not be possible without Serbia, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce said in a press release on Jan. 17.

This was one of the main takeaways from a round table held by the Chamber in Berlin last week for the purpose of drawing attention through dialogue between German and Serbian experts and direct, open conversation with the German media, to Serbia's historic transformation and the structural pressures shaping Serbian policy, the role that the EU and Germany must play in the accession process, and the consequences of it not materializing, the press release said.

"Including Serbia and the region in the single European market as urgently as possible, even before full membership in the EU, is important for Serbia and the region, but also for the European and German companies doing business in Serbia," said Marko Cadez, head of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce.

He went on to say that 60 percent of Serbia's total trade was with the EU, that 16 percent of its exports were to the German market, while almost a quarter of its exports were to the EU. Cadez added that, just like domestic outfits, German companies with billions of euros invested in the Serbian economy were paying the price of problems resulting from delays in Serbia's and the region's EU accession.