In recent years, CLDP’s Southeast Europe Initiative program has assisted the countries of Southeast Europe, under the auspices of the Stability Pact, to develop a legal/business environment better suited to attract increased trade and investment. In addition to assistance with trade liberalization, resulting in the new Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), CLDP has primarily focused on working towards the removal of arbitrary non-tariff barriers to trade. Specifically, CLDP has assisted the regional coordination of WTO standards relating to the Customs Agreement and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement.

The regional coordination of SPS measures resulted in the development of three regional working groups dedicated to animal health, plant protection, and food safety [1]. During the latest meeting of the SPS Working Groups, delegates focused on the common goal of increasing the profile of the three working groups at the national and international levels. In addition to meeting their individual goals of monitoring and controlling pest and disease outbreaks, the working groups determined how best to integrate their work with that of the international SPS standard-setting bodies. In spite of the political sensitivities surrounding Kosovo’s recent declaration of independence, the strong amity and effective regional collaboration of the working groups was highlighted by the ongoing full participation of the Kosovo delegates, and the peaceful interaction between the Kosovo and Serbian delegations.

[1] Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia, constitute the membership of the working groups.