Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH will answer several hundred questions that are posed in the Questionnaire of the European Commission, which represents one of the steps in the accession to full membership in the European Union.
According to Minister Mirko Sarovic, of the 35 chapters regarding the political and economic criteria, this ministry will prepare answers to 23 chapters, and these are issues related to free movement of goods and capital, intellectual property rights, competition, issues regarding the fields of agriculture, veterinary medicine, food safety, energy, entrepreneurship, environmental protection, consumer protection and customs policy.
“We already prepared more than a hundred answers to these questions. Some of the sectors of this ministry will be under particular pressure because of the large number of questions, such as the Department of Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, which should prepare answers to 61 questions, Department of Energy that should answer to 64 and the Department of Water Resources, Tourism and Environmental Protection that should give answers to 73 questions,” explained Sarovic.
Also, there is a total of 51 questions for which the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations identified as the institution responsible for providing answers.
“These issues are currently subject to consultation between the Ministry and the Directorate for European Integration. The real challenge will be when competent entity institutions deliver their answers. Then will follow a period of harmonization of answers, and this complex process will take place during February and March,” said Sarovic.
He added that there will be no need to adopt the new rules at this stage because now is presented the precise situation in certain areas in accordance with standards and the methodology required by the EU to the European Commission.
Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations has formed a team and holders of activities across sectors, and Sarovic said that the Department for European Integration at the Ministry coordinates all activities related to the preparation and submission of answers.
(Source: klix.ba)