REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

is 37.1% of the total Serbian trade with the world at that time. Total import from CEFTA-
2006 in 2007 amounted 2.5 billion dollars, which is 14% of Serbia’s total import from the
world. It is obvious that Serbia registers trade surplus in the regional trade. Data for 2008
show further increment both of exports and imports form the region.
Serbian economy has a substantial potential for export of agricultural products and realizes
a surplus in the trade of this kind of products in CEFTA-2006. The most important exporting
agricultural products are: processed meet, animal and vegetable fat and oil, live animals,
beverages and spirits, diary products and preparations from cereals and flour.
The import of agricultural products from the region consists mostly of fruit and vegetables,
fruit and vegetable preserves, tobacco and cigarettes, processed meat and fish.
The export of non-agricultural products is effectuated in iron and steel, products of iron
and steel, products of copper, mineral fuels, plastics and products thereof and electrical
machines and vehicles.
The import of non-agricultural products form the region consists of: mineral fuels, iron and
steel, products of iron and steel, electrical machines and furniture (Economic Chamber of
Serbia, 2008: 4-9).
CONCLUSION
The analysis in this article confirms the following conclusions:
CEFTA-2006 TRADE COOPERATION
1.
2.
3.
4.
The multilateral trade agreement CEFTA-2006 replaced 32 bilateral free trade
agreements in the region of Western Balkans. It perceives the establishment of a
full free trade area among its member states until the end of 2010. This multilateral
agreement should facilitate not only the trade exchange of goods, but also the
trade of services and intellectual property. It should also help the harmonization
of sanitary and phytosanitary measures according to the WTO standards, provide
implementation of the TBT agreement and simplify the rules of origin.
The implementation of the multilateral agreement during the past two years
increased the trade exchange of goods among all of its member states. Major
traders in the region are Croatia and Serbia, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Macedonia and Monte Negro. Albania, Kosovo and Moldova record an increment
of trade exchange within the region, however their total capacity is much lower
compared to the rest of the members.
All of the ex-Yugoslav states find the region as a very important market for export
of their agricultural output. Monte Negro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo
import most the needed agricultural products from the region. Also Macedonia
shows a significant dependence on this kind of import from CEFTA-2006
partners.
The region shows however much lower interdependence on the trade exchange
of non-agricultural goods. The interdependence is even lower on the import
side. Greater import of non agricultural goods (about 30% in average from the
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