Key Benefits:
President of the Republic,
On the report of the Prime Minister and the Minister of State, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs,
Considering the Constitution, in particular articles 52 to 55;
Vu le Decree No. 53-192 of 14 March 1953 amended on the ratification and publication of international commitments undertaken by France,
Decrete:
The Strategic Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Republic of Serbia, signed in Paris on 8 April 2011, will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
The Prime Minister and the Minister of State, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, are responsible, each with regard to him, for the execution of this decree, which will be published in the Official Journal of the French Republic.
A C C O R D
DE PARTENARIAT STRATEGIQUE ET DE COOPÉRATION ENTRE LE GOUVERNEMENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE ET LE GOUVERNEMENT DE LA RÉPUBLIQUE DE SERBIE
The Government of the French Republic and the Government of the Republic of Serbia,
The Parties shall,
United by their common values and the will to contribute to peace, prosperity, stability in Europe and the world,
Reaffirming the European vocation of the Western Balkans countries recognized by the European Council of Thessaloniki in 2003,
Stressing the importance of the forthcoming accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union and the need to prepare for it at best,
Desirous of giving new impetus to the relations of friendship and trust that unite them,
Decided to include these relations in an innovative framework, through strategic cooperation focused on concrete and diversified actions, including in support of the European integration of the Republic of Serbia, the promotion of economic exchanges, cultural and educational cooperation, and in the field of defence, security and internal affairs,
The following agreed:
Chapter I
Support for European integration
of the Republic of Serbia
Article 1
Parties are intensifying their cooperation with a view to supporting the preparation for the European integration of the Republic of Serbia, with particular reference to the following areas:
- the resumption of community acquis, in particular the harmonization of the national legislation of the Republic of Serbia with European legislation;
- adapting administrative structures to the institutional functioning of the EU, as well as improving performance indicators in the public service;
- sharing best practices regarding the implementation of European standards;
― the use of European financial instruments;
― public information on the European Union.
Article 2
The implementation of the actions defined in Article 1 may take the following form:
- exchange of information and experiences, in particular on interdepartmental coordination for the follow-up of European affairs;
- specific professional training activities in the Republic of Serbia, including the organization of French or French courses for Serbian diplomats, senior officials and international officials;
- participation of Serbian officials in charge of European integration in training courses organized in the French Republic, in particular at the National School of Administration;
- the French Republic has established technical assistants;
- exchanges of officials, in particular between the General Secretariat for European Affairs, for the French Republic, and the European Integration Bureau and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for the Republic of Serbia, which may, as appropriate, relate to officials of the services for the European integration of other ministries of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.
These various actions can be carried out either within the framework of specific agreements or, where possible, within the framework of administrative arrangements signed between French and Serbian ministers, in particular in the areas of consolidation of the rule of law, health, education and culture.
Article 3
The Parties are intensifying their political dialogue on the themes of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (PSDC) of the European Union, with the aim of promoting the convergence of their positions and, in this case, facilitating the association of the Republic of Serbia in the joint actions of the Union, in particular its participation in the crisis management operations conducted by the Union.
Chapter II
Development of cooperation and exchange of data on economic, energy and environmental issues
Article 4
In order to develop their economic cooperation and trade, including by promoting sustainable development and enhancing the competitiveness of their businesses, the Parties are particularly focused on:
- encourage investment, guaranteeing a favourable climate (honoral security, legal security, transparency of the real estate market, respect for intellectual property);
― to develop the use of public-private partnerships and concessions, particularly for major infrastructure projects in the energy sectors, new information and communications technologies, transport and the environment;
- to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of urban infrastructure and in particular the realization of the Belgrade metro project, for which France will be the strategic partner of Serbia once the French Government, the Serbian Government and the Belgrade City Hall have signed the declaration of intent containing the mutually acceptable and agreed terms of the metro project;
― increasing the prospecting and market information operations to promote trade between business communities and to strengthen the cooperation of chambers of commerce in the sectors of industry and services;
- to promote industrial and technical cooperation through co-production, joint ventures, joint exploitation and the transfer of know-how and technology;
― examining ways to improve the access of Serbian economic operators to French-speaking countries, including the French Republic, particularly within the framework of the French Business Forum;
- cooperate in the field of geology.
Article 5
In line with the Europe 2020 strategy for intelligent, sustainable and inclusive growth, Parties attach particular importance to the development of innovative projects, particularly in the telecommunications, environment, transport and agriculture sectors, including rural development.
Article 6
The Parties are working towards the establishment of a legislative framework for the resumption of the community acquis on energy, as stipulated in the Treaty establishing the Energy Community, to which the Republic of Serbia is a Party. This allows to resume the main objectives of the European energy policy:
ensuring the security of energy supplies;
― modernize production and storage infrastructure and distribution networks to ensure an optimal level of competitiveness in the energy market;
– promoting the sustainability of energy bouquets through innovative techniques.
To this end, technology exchanges are encouraged. These include improving infrastructure productivity.
Article 7
In the field of the environment, the Parties shall sign their cooperation as part of the resumption of the community acquis provided for in the Treaty establishing the Energy Community. This includes the implementation of the energy-climate package adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in December 2008. This process can be accompanied by a strengthening of the relations between the Parties through the following aspects:
- encouragement of scientific and technical cooperation in the field of low-carbon energy, and strengthening relations between the scientific institutions of the two countries;
- transfer of innovative technologies and cross-investment to promote industrial development in renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, hydraulic) and civil nuclear;
- promoting the environment as well as the education and involvement of citizens in the protection of the environment;
― helps to establish the new renewable energy legislation that promotes investments in sustainable growth and "green economy".
Chapter III
Defence cooperation
Article 8
Parties shall promote their defence partnership and place special emphasis on increasing their defence relations. Recognizing the growing security challenges and the increasingly specific military needs associated with them, the two Parties are jointly developing their capabilities to meet the requirements of external, humanitarian or peacekeeping commitments.
To that end, Parties shall cooperate:
- in the area of defence policy;
- in the development of defence structures and capacities.
They are working to increase the interoperability of their land and air forces, in particular through:
- joint initial and ongoing training of staff;
– research and training;
– the development of their cooperation in the field of arms.
The areas and modalities for the implementation of defence cooperation are defined through agreements or administrative arrangements.
Chapter IV
Academic cooperation, scientific,
linguistic and cultural
Article 9
In order to strengthen the integration of the Republic of Serbia into the European area of higher education, Parties encourage cooperation between their academic and scientific communities and institutions.
To this end, they support the exchanges of students, mainly master and doctorate level, professors and researchers, as part of partnerships between institutions or institutions of higher education or research. They coordinate their actions to support these mobility, in particular their scholarship programs for students. They encourage the joint participation of Serbian and French partners in projects funded by European programmes.
Article 10
Parties shall encourage the teaching and dissemination in their territory of the language of the other Party. To this end, they support the development of bilingual classes in the Republic of Serbia as well as the establishment of educational training for French teachers and the integration of the French-language diploma (DELF) in schools in the educational system of the Republic of Serbia. They reaffirm their support for the French chairs of the Republic of Serbia and the chairs of the Serbian language in the French Republic, and promote the reconciliation of their teaching system within the European space of higher education. They promote the presence of readers in universities in the French Republic and the Republic of Serbia.
Article 11
The Parties shall act jointly for the creation of a Franco-Serb high school in Belgrade, which will have the task of training students in the French language and culture. They cooperate to provide the facilities necessary for its development.
Article 12
Parties shall develop their cooperation in the field of cultural exchanges. To this end, they rely in particular on their competent ministers (and their branches/services of representation) and their national institutions in the field of culture.
They accord special importance to the promotion of cultural diversity as a major objective of the cultural policies of both countries. To this end, Parties in particular encourage the mobility of artists and works of art.
They support contacts between institutions, experts and artists to promote the debate of ideas and reflection on contemporary topics, including the issues of globalization.
Parties shall promote cooperation in the area of the preservation of their cultural heritage, which includes their cultural and historical heritage and identity.
Article 13
The Parties cooperate within the framework of the Institutional Francophonie. The Government of the French Republic is committed to promoting a better integration of the Republic of Serbia in this context and facilitates the use of its instruments and operators of the Francophonie, in particular the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF).
Chapter V
Consolidation of relations in the fields
Security and Internal Affairs
Article 14
Parties shall cooperate in the fight against various forms of organized crime, including through the internal security agreement, with the objectives of:
- to strengthen operational cooperation between the two countries, especially against the various traffic in the Balkans. Parties shall ensure that they take into account the regional dimension of these phenomena, including by promoting enhanced regional cooperation in combating organized crime;
- to accompany the Republic of Serbia in its reform of the training of personnel, inter-service cooperation, the professionalization of its intervention units, the protection of personal data, in order to comply with European standards in these areas and to facilitate its further integration into information exchange systems.
Article 15
Parties are exploring ways to act in common and to strengthen their cooperation in the field of civil security and response to major natural disasters and/or technological accidents, as well as support for the development in the Republic of Serbia of the geo-information, meteorology and climate services capabilities applied to this activity.
Article 16
As part of the liberalization of visa regimes between the Republic of Serbia and its partners in the Schengen group, Parties shall act jointly to ensure better control of migratory movements, including through the effective operation of readmission procedures.
Chapter VI
Final provisions
Article 17
Any dispute relating to the interpretation or execution of this Agreement shall be settled by the Parties by negotiation, by diplomatic means.
Article 18
Each Contracting Party shall notify the other of the fulfilment of the constitutional procedures required for the entry into force of this Agreement, which shall take effect thirty days from the receipt of the last notification.
This Agreement may be denounced by either of the Contracting Parties with a three-month notice by the diplomatic channel.
In faith, the representatives of both Parties, duly authorized to do so, have affixed their signature at the bottom of this Agreement.
Done in Paris on 8 April 2011, in identical duplicate, in French and Serbian languages, both texts being equally authentic.
For the Government
of the French Republic:
Laurent Wauquiez
Minister in charge
of European Affairs
For the Government
of the Republic of Serbia:
Vuk Jeremic
Minister
Foreign Affairs
Done on 7 December 2011.
Nicolas Sarkozy
By the President of the Republic:
The Prime Minister,
François Fillon
The Minister of State,
Minister for Foreign Affairs
and European,
Alain Juppé
