Serbia signed trade agreement with EU

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Mladjan Dinkic and EU Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht signed a trade agreement Tuesday (January 11th) as part of Serbia’s bid to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The agreement is just a formality, as Serbia has already signed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which includes an Interim Agreement on Trade and Trade Issues with the EU, as part of its integration process. Nonetheless, de Gucht described it as “a milestone in Serbia’s WTO accession process and an important step towards fostering our economic relations”. Serbia applied for WTO entry in 2005 and hopes to join the organisation by the end of this year.