Serbian Association of Employers at the meeting of the BUSINESSEUROPE executive board

The meeting was held on October 22, 2020 and President Milos Nenezic represented the Serbian Association of Employers together with colleagues from the Sector for International Cooperation.

The discussion was focused on the current topics of importance for the European Union, issues of relations with the People’s Republic of China, as well as the upcoming EU campaign on a new strategy for rebalancing relations with that country. The political and economic situation in the EU member states was also discussed, and the priorities for the next EU institutional cycle were set.

The most important element of the meeting was the potential introduction of EU countries into the second wave of the state of emergency in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic. Also, re-closure of individual countries and possible complete closure of economies and ways and measures to prevent it was on the top of the list. The study on the adoption of measures aimed at providing support to companies affected by the crisis, as well as preserving employment, is in the final phase.

The Green Agenda was presented, envisaged by the European Green Plan and which is a set of policies and measures to make the European Union climate neutral by 2050. The Commission stated in the European Green Plan, among other things, that the ecological transition for Europe will be fully effective only if the countries that surround it take effective measures for the energy transition.

The Executive Committee referred to the message of the British Prime Minister regarding Brexit, who said that Great Britain should “prepare” for trade with the EU without an agreement next year. The EU has expressed readiness to “intensify” discussions, but it does not want an agreement “at any cost”. Chief European negotiator Michel Barnier should arrive in London due to the continuation of negotiations, but the office of the British Prime Minister suggests that his arrival would be meaningless if there is no change in the position of the EU. It was stated that Britain expected Brussels to regulate relations in the “Canadian style”, but now the “Australian style” is mentioned as an alternative, which means restrictions in future trade.

Serbian Association of Employers has been an associate member of BusinessEurope since 2011, despite the fact that the Republic of Serbia is not a member of the European Union. To that extent, strengthening relations with BusinessEurope is an important link in connecting with the EU acquis and strengthening collegial ties with employers from all over Europe.