FTA-s description

Serbia started implementing CEFTA Agreement on 24 October 2007. The CEFTA Parties, with regard to mutual trade in industrial goods, have abolished all quantitative restrictions on imports and exports, export duties, export charges of a fiscal nature, import duties, import charges of fiscal nature and measures having equivalent effect.

As for agricultural products, as of the day the Additional Protocol to the CEFTA Agreement came into force, the Republic of Serbia has fully liberalized mutual trade with all CEFTA Parties except for the Republic of Croatia, where a limited number of sensitive products remains on the quota regime and subject to low customs duties. 

CEFTA 2006 opened new areas of development of mutual economic relations with regard to liberalization of trade in services, investment, public procurement, intellectual property rights. CEFTA implementation provides for the opportunity of applying diagonal cumulation of origin of goods (in trade between the countries of the region and the region with the EU), which will strongly encourage export and investment potentials of the region, and the development of its technological capacities and competitiveness. 

In accordance with the provisions of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the Republic of Serbia of the one part, and the European Community, of the other part, (SAA)  which came into force on 1 September 2013, all customs duties on industrial products originating in Serbia and imported into the Community(EU) were abolished[1] on 1 February 2010 (by provisions of theInterim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters), while customs duties for imports to Serbia of industrial products that originate from the EU were gradually phased out and completely abolished starting from 1 January 2014. On coming into force of this Agreement, the EU and Serbia have also mutually abolished all quantitative restrictions, as well as measures having equivalent effect, on imports and exports of industrial products originating in Serbia and the EU.

With regard to agricultural products, the EU abolished all quantitative restrictions and measures with equivalent effect on imports of agricultural products originating in Serbia as of the day of entry into force of the Interim Agreementon trade and trade-related matters, 1 February 2010. In addition, the EU abolished all duties and charges with equivalent effect on imports of agricultural products originating in Serbia, except for those under tariff headings 0102, 0201, 0202, 1701, 1702 and 2204 of the Combined Nomenclature. For these products, the European Union grants preferential quotas for imports of baby beef, sugar and wine originating in Serbia. 

Serbia has also committed to abolish all quantitative restrictions and measures with equivalent effect on imports of agricultural products originating in the EU. Serbia has committed to:

a) abolish customs duties on imports of specific agricultural products originating in the EU and listed in Annex III (a);

b) phase out customs duties applicable on imports of specific agricultural products originating in the EU that are listed in Annex III (b), in accordance with the timetable provided therein for each product;

c) phase down customs duties applicable on imports of specific agricultural products originating in the EU and listed in Annex III (c) and (d), in accordance with the timetable provided therein for each product. Serbia has exempted from the customs duty liberalization agricultural products from tariff lines: 1512 19 90 00, 1701, 1702, 2204, 2401 and 2204, whereas for 2204 (wine) the EU has been granted a preferential quota.

Liberalization of trade in processed agricultural products is regulated by the Protocol 1, pursuant to which the EU and Serbia apply customs duties specified in Annex I and Annex II to the processed agricultural products, in line with the conditions provided in these Annexes and regardless if they are restricted by a quota.

Stabilisation and Association Agreement covering not only trade and trade-related matters but also political dialogue, regional cooperation, workers, establishment, supply of services, movement of capital, approximation of laws and law enforcement, justice, freedom and security, numerous cooperation policies as well as financial cooperation. This Agreement establishes rules for a comprehensive partnership between Serbia and the EU with a view to supporting Serbia’s progress towards accession into the EU.

Serbia has signed the free trade agreement with countries of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), i.e. Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on the 17th of December 2009. This agreement came into force for all parties on 1st October 2011. Serbia has concluded separate bilateral agreements on trade in agricultural products with each EFTA member country, which make up an integral part of the Agreement. The main focus of the Free Trade Agreement is the liberalization of trade in goods. EFTA has abolished all customs duties on Serbian industrial products, including fish and other marine products, as of the entry into force of the Agreement. Serbia has gradually dismantled its customs duties for imports of industrial products from the EFTA States within transitional period expired in January 2014. Import duties on all industrial products were scrapped fully, while duties on some agriculture products remain even after transitional period for creation of free trade zone.

In accordance with the bilateral free trade agreements that Serbia has concluded with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the Parties thereto will not charge customs duties, fees and charges with equivalent effect for products originating in one Party and intended for the market of the other Party. Exceptions were made for the products listed in the annexes, which are integral part of the agreements. The products listed in annexes are subject to customs duties, fees and charges with equivalent effect in accordance with the Parties’ national legislations (at the rates specified by national customs tariffs).  

Under the Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Turkey, the Parties thereto have abolished import duties in mutual trade, i.e. on imports of industrial products originating in the other Party, except for products listed in Annex II of the Agreement. Such industrial products originating in Turkey are subject to phasing out of customs duties on their imports to Serbia, in line with the specified timetable. As regards agricultural products, reliefs granted by both Parties are listed in Protocol I of the Agreement (preferential customs rates within specified quotas).

[1] Products originating in Serbia benefit since 2000 from autonomous trade measures, allowing (with a few exceptions) for free entry into the EU without customs duties or quantitative restrictions.  The autonomous trade measures have been superseded by the Stabilisation and Association agreement, which provide for the establishment of free trade on a contractual basis.

Implemented FTA-s

For purposes of achieving a larger scale of trade in goods with other markets, trade liberalization and increased investments under favourable market conditions, Serbia has concluded trade agreements with countries that are among its major trading partners. The free trade agreements concluded and implemented in Serbia so far are as follows:

- Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Community, of the one part, and the Republic of Serbia, of the other part (SAS), 

- Free Trade Agreement on Amendment of and Accession to Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA 2006), 

- Free Trade Agreement with Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan,

- Free Trade Agreement with Turkey and  

- Free Trade Agreement with EFTA countries (Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland). 

Contact

Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia:

Nemanjina 26, 11000 Beograd, Serbia

Sector for Foreign Trade Policy, Multilateral and Regional Economic and Trade Cooperation 

Phone: +381 11 26420114

Sector for Bilateral Economic Cooperation

Phone: +381 11 2642 119

Website: www.mtt.gov.rs

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia:

Nemanjina 22, 11000 Beograd, Serbia

Sector for International Cooperation:

Phone: +381 11 3620 863, +381 11 3620 190

Sector for Agrucultural Policy:

Phone: +381 11 3616 278, +381 11 3615 173

Website: www.minpolj.gov.rs

Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Serbia:

Sector for Customs System and Policy 

Kneza Miloša 20, 11000 Beograd, Serbia

Phone: +381 11 364 27 61, +381 11 364 27 62, fax: +381 11 364 27 63

Website: www.mfin.gov.rs