Serbia

Serbia was still part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) when that country applied for accession to the WTO in 2001. FRY was the last of the former republics of Yugoslavia to do so.

In 2003, the FRY became the country of Serbia and Montenegro, with the understanding that the two republics would pursue harmonized economic policies and therefore continue accession to the WTO as a single entity.

By 2005, however, it became clear that while the Union State of Serbia and Montenegro might be considered a single country, its two constituent territories were operating as separate economic units. They petitioned jointly to split the accession process and to negotiate their WTO Membership as separate customs territories.

The General Council established a Working Party to examine Serbia’s WTO accession application in February 2005.  Serbia’s Memorandum on the Foreign Trade Regime was circulated in March 2005, and its first Working Party meeting was held in October 2005. Serbia’s most recent Working Party meeting – its tenth – was held in March 2011, to review additional documentation and the status of its legislative implementation of WTO provisions. Serbia’s accession negotiations, both bilaterally for market access commitments and in the Working Party are well advanced, and Serbia would like to complete its accession process during 2012.  However, a number of outstanding issues remain, including the need to amend certain WTO-inconsistent laws and complete bilateral tariff and services negotiations. 

The United States has actively participated in Serbia’s Working Party meetings, and has engaged in bilateral consultations with the Government of Serbia on the margins of WTO meetings in Geneva. The United States also has provided technical assistance to Serbia in the form of an advisor resident in Belgrade, drafting documentation, training, legal drafting, and institution building in the areas of customs procedures, import and activity licensing, intellectual property rights protection, standards and sanitary measures. This program concluded in March of 2009.