What is the NPAA?
The National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis is a detailed, multi-annual plan for the alignment of domestic legislation with EU regulations. The first National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis related to the period 2013 − 2016, and in July of 2014, the second NPAA was adopted for the period 2014-2018. In November 2016, at a Government session, a second, revised National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis was adopted. The NPAA is designed in the way that it connects European legislation and the domestic legal system in order to monitor, at all times, the pace, scope and quality of the alignment. The legislation of the Union is divided in accordance with the jurisdiction of state authorities, enabling the regular planning and monitoring of their legislative activities.
The National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis is a continuation of the National Programme for Integration (NPI), which was implemented in the period from 2008 to 2012 and provides continuity of the process of national legislation alignment. We remind that, seen as whole, based on the regulations that were planned for adoption in the period from July 2008 until 31 December 2012, 88 percent of the NPI was completed, namely, 1030 out of 1172 laws and bylaws were adopted.
What are the objectives of the NPAA?
The second revision of the NPAA was organised after the completion of the screening process, a detailed introduction to the most important parts of the acquis communautaire and after considering the current situation and possible challenges in terms of achieving full compatibility of national legislation with EU regulations. Starting with the stated aim of the Republic of Serbia to be fully prepared to assume the obligations of membership until the end of 2018 (taking into account the indicative target for the moment of accession - the year 2021), it is envisaged that the implementation of the revised NPAA will cover the period up to 31 December of 2018.
The NPAA also forms the basis for the preparation of negotiating positions in the Chapters that have not already been submitted to the EU because one of the objectives of this document is to reflect all the requirements and the results of the negotiation process, and to allow monitoring of the commitments made during the negotiations in the Chapters. In accordance with the experience of other candidate countries for EU membership, the NPAA is also one of the indicators of progress towards closing the chapters.
The NPAA will, in accordance with the needs, also be revised in the future, taking into account the achieved steps during the accession negotiations, as well as the development of the acquis of the European Union, which the candidate countries are obliged to accept in the form at the time of accession.
The NPAA determines not only obligations relating to the transposition of EU legislation into the domestic legal order, but also the tasks that must be carried out in order to meet political and economic criteria for EU accession (Copenhagen criteria from 1993 and Madrid criteria from 1995). The NPAA defines development and strategic objectives, on one hand, and policy reforms and measures necessary for the implementation of these objectives, on the other hand. It also defines a detailed plan, timetable and priorities for the adoption of the regulations and determines the bodies responsible for their preparation.
What is the structure of the NPAA?
The structure of the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis includes three main parts of the document and three annexes.
Main parts of the document:
1. Political criteria
2. Economic criteria
3. Ability to assume the obligations of membership.
Annexes:
1. Annex А - Plan for alignment of legislation of the RS with the acquis of the European Union and a review of implementation measures;
3. Annex B - Measures planned within the process of translation and preparation of the national version of the Acquis.
