The Serbia-Italy Business and Political Summit was held on March 8 in Belgrade with the participation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, Serbian President Boris Tadic, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and ministers.
Several cooperation agreements were signed at the summit and it was declared that there was great potential for improving economic and European integration cooperation. The issue of Kosovo, which Italy has recognized, was said to be an area of disagreement.
Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic thanked Italy for its principled support to Serbia in the EU accession process, stressing that Italy is one of the most important economic partners to Serbia.
At a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic and Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, held following the second Serbia–Italy Summit, Cvetkovic said that during today’s bilateral meetings several agreements between the two states were signed, one of which refers to the EU integration process.
He stressed that the acquisition of EU candidate status is an advantage and a possibility to improve cooperation with Italy, but it is also an obligation for Serbia to continue with reforms and EU integration more intensively than before.
The Prime Minister recalled that Italy is Serbia’s third largest foreign trade partner, while in terms of foreign investments it is fifth-ranked.
There are over 400 Italian companies doing business in Serbia and employing over 20,000 workers, Cvetkovic observed, adding that there have been no objections to the work of these companies or their treatment of workers in Serbia.
The Italian partners showed their interest in participating in the construction of railway Corridor 11 through Serbia, from Belgrade to Montenegro, as well as in the construction of the Belgrade underground.
Tadic: Thousands of Italian companies expected in Serbia
Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Thursday he expected the strategic partnership with Italy to result in the arrival of thousands of Italian companies in Serbia, as well as a continuation of Italy’s support for Serbia’s EU integration.
He told a news conference during a summit between Serbia and Italy the two countries’ strategic partnership had already resulted in balancing out the trade between them, but that the possibilities for improving the economic cooperation were unimaginable.
“After the strategic partnership, more than 400 Italian companies have come to Serbia. We expect thousands,” he stated, adding that the two delegations also discussed numerous projects, mostly related to energy and transport.
He mentioned the steel, mining, agriculture, pharmaceutical, textile and footwear industries as potentially interesting areas of cooperation.
Serbia’s transport systems have bloomed, and Italy will also benefit from that, since its shortest route to Turkey and the Middle East goes through Serbia, he pointed out.
The two delegations also talked about a possible cooperation in constructing the road corridors 10 and 11 and modernizing Serbia’s railway network.
“Corridors 10 and 11 practically form a strategic triangle connecting Italy to Serbia, and so Serbia becomes of central importance to Italy,” Tadic noted.
The completion of those roads, built jointly by Serbian and Italian companies, could create in this decade an extraordinary environment for the development of economy and benefits for the people, he remarked.
Tadic also listed a number of energy projects where Serbia is already working with Italian companies or intending to establish such a cooperation. He stressed that apart from being a producer of electrical power, Serbia will also be important for Italy as a significant transport hub for electricity.
The start of Fiat 500L production in Kragujevac symbolically complements the decades-long tradition of the two countries’ industrial cooperation, Tadic concluded.
Monti: Serbia deserves candidate status
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti stated Thursday that Serbia has deserved the EU candidate status, and that the efforts that the country made in order to fulfill all EU preconditions set a good example.
Speaking about the date for the beginning of the accession talks, Monti underlined that this is a very important phase, after which nothing will be the same.
Italy wants to back Serbia on that pathway, and it wants Europe to view Serbia as politically and economically mature for such a step, Monti said.
He noted that the two countries have different stands in terms of the Kosovo issue, which should be respected, but it is important that there is good will towards seeking a solution, which was also confirmed by Serbian President Boris Tadic at a press conference of the Serbia-Italy Summit.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said that it was realistic to expect that Serbia could get the date for the start of accession talks with the European Union by the end of the current year.
If Belgrade continues to be as committed as they have been so far, the expectations of President (of Serbia Boris) Tadic that Serbia could get the date for the start of EU accession negotiations by the end of the year are quite reasonable, said Monti.
Serbia can count on Italy’s strong support, Monti said.
Monti, heading a delegation of his country at the second Serbia-Italy summit in Belgrade, said that Italy would remain with Serbia, strongly supporting the arguments that should lead to Belgrade’s rapid European integration.
Serbia belongs to the European family, and we expect it there, Monti said in an interview with Blic, a Belgrade-based daily, reiterating that he had welcomed the decision to grant the EU candidate status to Serbia with great satisfaction.
He added that that by getting the candidacy, Serbia had achieved an important goal.
The Italian prime minister believes that the candidacy is the recognition of the efforts that President Tadic has made through implementing the reforms demanded by the European Commission, surrendering the war crimes indictees to the Hague and by Belgrade’s reaching important agreements in the dialogue with Pristina.
Asked what the relations between Belgrade and Pristina should look like to ensure Serbia’s becoming an EU member, Monti said that Serbia was required to gradually normalize its relations with Kosovo and to make an important contribution to the stability of the region by fostering cooperation with neighboring countries.
The conditions for Serbia’s EU membership are the same as for all other countries that want to become part of the European family, and were established in Copenhagen in 1993, said Monti, adding that the Serbian government has done a lot in the field of regional cooperation.
Speaking about the summit between the two countries, Monti pointed out that the summit was taking place at an appropriate moment.
As President Tadic himself said, the entry to the path that leads straight to the EU opens up new perspectives for the development and internationalization of the Serbian society and economy, said Monti, adding that Rome has an active role in these processes, established by a 2009 agreement on strategic partnership between the two countries.
We are entering a new phase here in Belgrade, now getting even closer to each other under the EU banner and through joint development, which is gaining in strength due to the complementarities of our economic systems, said the Italian prime minister.
Serbia, Italy sign several interstate agreements
Representatives of the Serbian and Italian governments signed several interstate agreements as part of the second Serbia–Italy Summit.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic and Giulio Terzi signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Serbian and Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs on cooperation in European integration.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic and Italian Minister of the Interior Anna Maria Cancellieri signed a Joint Statement on cooperation between the two interior ministries in the fight against organised crime, as well as a Memorandum of Understanding between the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy.
Minister of Agriculture, Trade, Forestry and Water Management Dusan Petrovic and Italian Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Mario Catania signed the Protocol on cooperation in rural development and quality in the field of agriculture.
Minister of Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic and Italian Minister of Environment, Land and Sea Corrado Clini signed an Annex to the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in environmental protection.
The Memorandum of Understanding in the field of information cooperation between the Serbian Tax Police and the Italian Financial Police was signed between Chief Inspector Vesna Aleksic and General Commander Nino di Paolo.
Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac talked with his Italian counterpart Giampaolo Di Paola, as part of the second Serbia–Italy Summit in Belgrade.
Sutanovac and Di Paola voiced their pleasure at the two states’ defence cooperation so far, stressing that in the future it will primarily be based on cooperation in education, training and professional development.
Sutanovac voiced his expectation that the two states will continue their cooperation in defence, underlining that Serbia is interested in establishing military-economic and scientific-technological cooperation with Italian companies.
He thanked Italy for its support to Serbia’s defence system reform and its EU integration process, emphasising the importance of Italy’s support during the process to acquire EU candidate status.
The meeting also looked at the Italian defence ministry’s support to Serbia’s inclusion in the EU’s joint security and defence policy, activities within the Partnership for Peace programme and support to participation in all regional initiatives.
Italy’s support to Serbia’s accession to the European Defence Agency, which will be contemplated on 23 March, was particularly emphasised.
Source Emg
