Members of the Parliament of Montenegro Mr Mihailo Anđušić and Mr Miloš Nikolić took part in the seminar of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the topic of regional trade for parliamentarians, which took place in Vienna, from 21 to 23 February.
The Seminar addressed the issues of multilateral trade system and the WTO as the central institution in that context, and the significance of the current institutional and legal framework of the international trade system in the area of customs and trade in goods, services and intellectual property.
The seminar, dedicated to a wide range of economic issues, was aimed at training parliamentarians from the countries of Central-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus to better understand the rules and functioning of the WTO, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by the countries in the region.
Bearing in mind that this is a very complex region with regard to the degree of integration to the WTO, the three-day gathering has also served as a platform for exchange of experiences with regard to negotiations for membership of this organisation. MPs Mr Anđušić and Mr Nikolić presented the experiences of Montenegro, which were especially precious for the countries in the region, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, considering that they were in the stage of negotiations for membership of the WTO.
During the seminar, members of the Parliament of Montenegro had the opportunity to actively participate in the discussion about the future of the WTO, especially bearing in mind the implications and benefits of the Trade Facilitation Agreement at the time it enters into force.
The parliamentarians of the region shared opinions on the current economic issues of global significance such as the electronic commerce, new challenges of liberalisation of trade in goods, and the issues directly related to the countries in the region.
Numerous MPs have participated in the WTO seminar, which represents an initial gathering of this kind with parliamentarians of the region of Central-Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus.
MPs Mr Mihailo Anđušić and Mr Miloš Nikolić used their participation in the gathering to have a bilateral meeting with members of delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina consisting of Ms Mensura Beganović, Mr Predrag Kožul, and Mr Borislav Bojić.
