CEFTA – Central European Free Trade Agreement

Serbia joined the membership of CEFTA, a unique multilateral Free Trade Agreement in Southeast Europe, on 19 December 2006, together with eight additional Parties (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and UNMIK/Kosovo as a customs territory under UNSC resolution No. 1244). Bulgaria and Romania exited CEFTA after becoming EU Member States, on 1 January 2007. All other CEFTA members commenced the Agreement's implementation on 22 November 2007. CEFTA defines general obligations related to trade in all goods. The Agreement dealt with: technical trade barriers, and new areas that were not the subject of bilateral free trade agreements, such as trade in services, investments, public procurement, protection of intellectual property rights and arbitration in the event of conflict.

The CEFTA region is Serbia's second most important foreign trade partner, after the EU, having a share of 11.26% in overall international trade (20.28% in exports and 3.68% in imports), in 2016, when Serbia's total trade with CEFTA Parties reached 3.515 million euro.

CEFTA Chairmanship-in-Office of the Republic of Serbia in 2017

The work and cooperation within the CEFTA framework have been recognized at the highest political level through the conclusions of the Western Balkans Prime Minister Summit, offering clear support to the activities and efforts aimed at the region's further integration, on the path that Serbia shares in common. The complementarity between CEFTA goals and a broader regional political agenda has been and will continue to be further intensified in the period ahead.

A comprehensive 2017 Action Plan has been drawn up within the framework of the Chairmanship-in-Office of the Republic of Serbia. These activities are in the function of further promotion, deepening and reinforcing CEFTA implementation through continued work towards trade facilitation, liberalization of trade in services, supported by mutual equalization of professional degrees, promotion of the system of full cumulation of origin between the region and major trade partners, and the enhancement of the conflict resolution system. Additionally, a special place among Serbia's 2017 Chairmanship-in-Office priorities will be devoted to a more intensive and better cooperation between the public and private sectors.

Point of Contact:
CEFTA Secretariat Brussels
www.cefta.int 
Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia
www.mttt.rs