Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador of the European Union to Serbia, Branislav Nedimović, Minister of Agriculture, and Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of European Integration, visited the Agricultural Fair in Novi Sad on 25 May.

Last year, in the context of overall food exports to the EU in excess of €2.3 billion, Serbia achieved a positive trade balance of almost €700 million. This amounts to over half (55%) of all Serbian food exports being destined for the EU.

Referencing the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance for Rural Development III (IPARD III), Ambassador Emanuele Giaufret said: “Excellent work was done during the preparation of the IPARD III programme, which was adopted by the Commission in March this year. That brings an additional €377 million to the Serbian agricultural sector, of which €288 million is financed by the EU. On the other hand, I stressed that Serbia should make every effort to successfully complete the implementation of IPARD II and avoid any additional loss of funding under this programme. Serbia lost €3.7 million in 2021 due to constant problems with the payment of annual funds.”

During the second cycle of the IPARD programme, which is coming to an end, nine public calls have been announced, and more than 550 grants have been approved, about half of which have already been paid to Serbian farmers and food producers.

The ambassador also spoke about other successful projects financed by the EU in Serbia. For example, no case of rabies has been recorded in Serbia for years, and the EU is also participating in the suppression of swine fever. The EU has supported the control and eradication of these two dangerous diseases with over €20 million. The EU is also funding projects to support the purchase of solar panels, as well as equipping the National Reference Laboratory.

Emphasising the desire for further cooperation Ambassador Giaufret said: “We are better together.”