Seven conclusions from the meeting in Sarajevo: Croatia should urgently abolish discriminatory provisions

A meeting of relevant ministers from the region regarding the entry into force of the Rulebook on inspection supervision and control of the conformity of fruits and vegetables with market standards in the Republic of Croatia was held today in Sarajevo at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Mirko Šarović.

Ministers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro signed a joint letter which will be sent to the European Commission during the day, and they called on Croatia to urgently abolish the discriminatory provisions.

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia adopted the Rulebook on inspection supervision and control of the conformity of fruits and vegetables with market standards, which increased the fee for inspection supervision and control of the conformity of fruits and vegetables with market standards during import from third countries to 2,000 kuna from the previous 90 kuna.

Assessing that the economic interests of producers and exporters from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Serbia, and the Republic of Macedonia are directly threatened in this way, the ministers of the four countries, consisting of: Mirko Šarović, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dragica Sekulić, Minister of Economy in the Government of Montenegro, Rasim Ljajić, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, Ljupčo Nikolovski, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in the Government of the Republic of Macedonia, in Sarajevo, on August 7, 2017, adopted the following conclusions:

1. The Republic of Croatia is called upon to urgently abolish the discriminatory provisions of the Rulebook on inspection supervision and control of the conformity of fruits and vegetables with market standards, which introduce different treatment for domestic products and products imported from third countries (national treatment);

2. That the price of inspection supervision should correspond to the actual costs of the procedure and not represent indirect protection of domestic products or indirect taxation of imports. That price should be harmonized with the average price in relation to the prices valid in the countries of the region and in the EU;

3. That in this regard, an urgent meeting is requested during this week with the relevant minister in the Government of the Republic of Croatia, given that any further delay in resolving the issue would have unforeseeable consequences for all producers in the countries of the region, considering that it is currently the season for the production and export of seasonal fruits and vegetables. The ministers' proposal is for this meeting to be held in Podgorica by the end of this week;

4. The European Commission is called upon to get involved in resolving this issue, in order to respect the principles of free trade, and in accordance with the provisions of the Stabilization and Association Agreement;

5. Montenegro and the Republic of Macedonia, as WTO members, will initiate appropriate mechanisms before that organization, in accordance with WTO rules and regulations;

6. Until this problem is resolved, each country will take concrete measures and mechanisms that it deems adequate in order to protect its own economic interests;

7. It was agreed that these types of ministerial meetings, regardless of the current problem, will be held regularly, with the aim of removing barriers that threaten the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital in the region. The next meeting will be held in Skopje next month.