European Commission: Serbia will have to terminate the agreement with Eurasian Union

BRUSSELS -- Serbia must terminate a new trade agreement with Russia's Eurasian Economic Union when it joins the European Union

European Commission: Serbia will have to terminate the agreement with Eurasian Union

BRUSSELS -- Serbia must terminate a new trade agreement with Russia's Eurasian Economic Union when it joins the European Union

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FOTO: EPA, STEPHANIE LECOCQ

This is a clear message from European Commission to Serbia.

"Serbia can enter into agreements with other states or organizations prior to joining EU. However, in the perspective of negotiating accession, Serbia has pledged to withdraw from all bilateral trade agreements on the day of EU accession", the Commission said.

The same message was conveyed by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament, David McAllister.

"The text of the free trade agreement with Russia should also have an exit clause, which would guarantee that Serbia can withdraw from the agreement following its accession to the EU", McAllister warned.

The European Commission made its position clear the day after Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko announced that Serbia would sign a trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union on October 25th.

The Free Trade Agreement between Serbia and Russia has existed since 2000.

Just to recall, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic said earlier that "the entry agreement was agreed upon after two years of negotiations that were neither easy nor simple, and would apply to all five countries of the Eurasian Economic Union".

"The plan is for the agreement to be signed in Sochi at a meeting between the prime ministers of Serbia and the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union", Ljajic said.