Government decreased special aids for food buying from EU, on Monday. Behind customs amount of duties are also decreased during import. Food import from Europe is released from additional “clamps”. Special duties for special agricultural and food products from EU are decreased or canceled by government decision on Monday. It was obligation of transitional market agreement, but domestic production will be even more vulnerable because of much stronger competition.
In Ministry of Agriculture is stressed that agricultural and food import duty is part of special agriculture import protection. The protection is specific because it is prescribed just for agricultural and food products. It is prescribed every year and comes into force on 1 January the following year.
-Special duties will be charged for 453 products in total on agricultural and food products import since 1 January 2013- The Ministry says.
-It applies to all kind of meat, milk, yogurt, butter, all kinds of cheese, poultry eggs, potato and different kinds of fresh and frozen vegetables, grapes, apples, peaches, plums and other fruits, margarine, sausages, and other prepared and canned meat products, sugar, soups, schnapps, alcohol and cigarettes.
Special duty amount depends on product and it is between 1 dinar per fresh egg and 80 dinars per kg of cheese. Special duty average amount is 32, 6 dinars per kg, except for EU import which amounts 9 dinars per kg.
Serbia is the only country which will completely open and cancel all customs barriers before it becomes EU member. Government claims that the decision is in accordance with The Transitional Agreement foregone between EU and Serbia and agreed agriculture customs liberalization.
Source Serbia-business
