Representatives of BiH and the European Union who discussed the adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, approached their views yesterday in Brussels and the final agreement could be expected at the next meeting.
By all accounts, BiH agreed to duty-free imports from Croatia, and it only remained to see what quantity of the goods is in question, and on the other hand, Europe accepted the requests of BiH to increase the quota for exports of wine, fish and sugar.
When it comes to the quantity of goods which will be imported in BiH, especially from Croatia, without customs duties, they shall be determined on the basis of three-year average from 2008 to 2011, when based on CEFTA, Croatia imported goods in BiH without paying any duties.
When it comes to quotas, during the negotiations on the adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, Brussels generally accepted that the quota for exports of wine is increased by 24,000 hectoliters, fish for 500 tons for trout and 140 tons for carp, and we can still expect some increase for products such as sugar, fruits and vegetables.
Everything that is known so far is that the Europe seeks from BiH to allow the import of goods, especially from Croatia, as well as other members of the EU, without any customs duties, which will certainly lead to enormous damage to the agricultural sector of BiH.
“Nothing has been finally agreed. We are talking about the requests of BiH and there will be no agreement if part of our demands are not accepted. Conversations are taking place in the way that the EU will accept our requests, and we expect to complete the negotiations at the next meeting,” said Hamdo Tinjak, head of the negotiating team of BiH on the adaptation of the Stabilization and Association Agreement, noting that the exact date of the new meeting has not been determined yet.
(Source: akta.ba)
