National Convention on EU

The National Convention on the European Union (NCEU) is a permanent body in which a thematically structured debate on Serbia’s EU accession is organized between the representatives of state administration, political parties, independent institutions, NGOs, experts, businesses, unions and professional organizations.

The NCEU was inspired by the model from Slovakia, functioning since 2001. Adjusted to the integration specificities in Serbia, our Convention has been monitoring the Stabilization and Association Agreement since 2006, and later on, the most important issues in Serbia’s EU integration process.

When accession negotiations began, the National Convention positioned itself as a special platform adapted to the new stage of Serbia-EU relations, that should allow: regular consultations of authorities, bodies and institutions of the Republic of Serbia with stakeholders – civil society, local governments and business representatives – in the negotiation process and its various phases, defining recommendations and opinions regarding the negotiation positions, and monitoring the fulfillment of measures and accession conditions regarding various chapters, a transparent and open dialogue during the analytical screening, developing negotiation positions, implementation of reforms  and obligations, providing better information to the public on the negotiation process and its impact to various groups (businesses, citizens etc.)

NCЕU is primarily established as a body for special cooperation between the National Parliament of Serbia and the civil society in the accession negotiation process, in accordance with the best practice of strategic cooperation between the civil society with the highest legislation body in the country and the selected representatives of citizens, established with the Resolution of the National Parliament from 2004 and confirmed with the Resolution from 2013.

In accordance with the principle of obligatory consultation with the civil society in developing legal and strategic documents prescribed by the Government of Serbia, with its structure and manner of work, NCEU will be a suitable platform for cooperation and consultation with the Government and its bodies in charge of EU negotiations (Negotiating team, Negotiating working groups). The principles of cooperation between the national authorities and civil society organizations is based on the Declaration of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, on the Code of good practice for citizens engagement in the decision making process. Accordingly, the Government of Serbia builds its cooperation with the CSOs based on the following principles: active participation of CSOs in all phases of drafting and adoption of laws, mutual trust, openness, efficiency, cost effectiveness and timely provision of information.

NALED is the coordinator of Working group 6 of the National Convention on the European Union (NCEU) for negotiating chapter 8 “Competition policy”. 

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