Speaking before members of the Assembly of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (PKS),Delevic said that Serbia had exported 17 percent of its products to CEFTA countries and about 10 percent of them to Russia in 2011, but the coverage of imports by exports to the EU had reached 61.4 percent.

Last year, she said, the Serbian exports were something over EUR four billion, and imports about EUR 6.6 billion.

The Stabilization and Accession Agreement between the EU and Serbia saw the beginning of its implementation at the start of 2009.

Delevic stated that the benefits Serbia had reaped in the financial and economic terms were three times greater than the customs costs the EU countries had to pay while exporting to our country.

She noted that the interim trade agreement had been ratified by 24 countries, and it yet remained to be ratified by Austria, Greece, and Germany.

That Serbia is well on its way of getting closer to the EU can be seen in the fact that direct foreign investment amounted to around EUR 1.6 billion last year, while at the same time Slovenia and Croatia had inflows from abroad of EUR 1.3 billion together, said Delevic.

When it comes to the use of the funds from the EU pre-accession IPA funds, Serbia has received some EUR 2.2 billion in the period between 2007 and 2011, she pointed out.

When Serbia becomes a full-fledged member of the EU, it will have available for drawing about four percent or about EUR 1.4 billion of the European funds, she said.

Delevic said that since July 2008, when Serbia had adopted its national strategy for European integration, our country had met about 80 percent of its obligations, that is, it had adopted 774 of the total of 973 of the regulations intended for harmonization with relevant European standards.