This regulation specifies the methods and conditions for the periodic and extraordinary verification of measuring instruments and measurement systems for the continuous and dynamic measurement of non-water liquids – fuel dispensing devices. It outlines the requirements that fuel dispensing devices must meet during verification, as well as the process for determining compliance with these requirements.

The report on the conducted public consultation can be found here.

During the meeting, the delegations shared their experiences in the mentioned areas and agreed to continue the exchange of knowledge on this topic in the future.

He pointed out that companies participating in the competition for the "Oscar of Quality" have achieved excellent results, especially in improving quality and business excellence. He expressed hope that these companies will serve as examples of good practice in the future. He also emphasized that the Ministry of Economy is making significant efforts to create an economic environment conducive to integration into the European and world economy by harmonizing with EU technical legislation and improving the work of quality infrastructure institutions.

Acting Assistant Minister of Economy, Nikola Vitas, stated that the Ministry of Economy, in the previous period, has established a stable legal and institutional framework in the field of standardization, metrology, accreditation, and conformity assessment.

In collaboration with the Development Agency of Serbia in 2023, the Ministry of Economy, besides many incentives for businesses, is implementing a program for co-financing the costs of services in the field of quality infrastructure (for conducting conformity assessment procedures of products with the requirements of Serbian and foreign technical regulations, including safety assessment of cosmetic products; for organizing business in accordance with the requirements of internationally recognized standards of management systems (preparation/implementation of standards with the first certification or recertification); for the purchase of Serbian standards from the Institute of Standardization of Serbia). The goal of this financial support is for businesses to increase the use of standards throughout all phases of design, production, and product control and to organize their business processes.

Minister of Economy, Slobodan Cvetković, congratulated the companies participating in the competition for the "Oscar of Quality" and business excellence.

The winners of the "Oscar of Quality 2023" are Generali Insurance Serbia (Champion of Excellence 2023) and the director of this company, Dragan Filipović (Leader of Business Excellence 2023), as well as the Center for Medical Biochemistry at the University Clinical Center (Champion of Excellence 2023) and the director of the mentioned center, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sanja Stanković (Leader of Business Excellence 2023), while Hutchison Ltd. Ruma and the Institute of Public Health Šabac achieved excellence in the areas of leadership, process technology, and employee satisfaction.

Regulation on the verification of water meters intended for use in households, business premises, and light industry, published in the Official Gazette of the RS, No. 90/2023 on October 24, 2023. It came into force on November 1, 2023, and is applicable from January 1, 2025.

Regulation on the verification of non-automatic scales, published in the Official Gazette of the RS, No. 90/2023 on October 24, 2023. It came into force on November 1, 2023, and is applicable from that date.

Regulation on the verification of measuring instruments and measuring systems for continuous and dynamic measurement of quantities of liquids other than water – AdBlue dispensing devices, published in the Official Gazette of the RS, No. 93/2023 on October 27, 2023. It came into force on November 4, 2023, and is applicable from January 1, 2025.

Regulation on the verification of automatic scales with continuous measurement results summation, published in the Official Gazette of the RS, No. 93/2023 on October 27, 2023. It came into force on November 4, 2023, and is applicable from January 1, 2025.

Comments, proposals, and suggestions can be submitted to the Ministry of Economy via email at anita.bujas@privreda.gov.rs or by mail to the Ministry of Economy, Sector for Quality and Safety of Products, Kneza Milosa 20, 11000 Belgrade, with the note 'Public Discussion on the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on Precious Metals.

This regulation specifies the methods and conditions for the periodic and extraordinary calibration of materialized length measures - general-purpose length measures, the requirements that these length measures must meet during calibration, and the procedures for determining compliance with these requirements.

This rulebook specifies the methods and conditions for the periodic and extraordinary verification of taximeters installed in taxi vehicles, the requirements that taximeters must meet during calibration, and the procedures for determining compliance with taximeter requirements.

Representatives from institutions with which the Institute has the strongest cooperation attended the ceremony: the Ministry of Economy, the Accreditation Body of Serbia, as well as the Management and Supervisory Board of the Institute. Tatjana Bojanic, the director of the Institute, greeted the attendees, followed by addresses from Mr. Nikola Vitas, the acting assistant minister of the economy, and Ms. Tanja Petrovic from the Ministry of Economy, the president of the Assembly of the Institute.

Among this year's recipients of acknowledgments for outstanding contributions to the development of national standardization were:

Dr. Ivan Glisovic, representative of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Belgrade, member of the committee KS U250-5,6, Calculation of wooden and masonry structures

Nina Vukosavljevic, representative of the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, member of the committee KS U059, Buildings and civil engineering structures, and subcommittee KS Z021/PKS U092, Fire safety - Technical measures for fire safety

Danijela Prsic, representative of the Ministry of Construction, Transport, and Infrastructure, member of the subcommittee KS Z021/PKS U092, Fire safety - Technical measures for fire safety

Vladimir Bukvic, representative of the Directorate for Standardization, Codification, and Metrology of the Ministry of Defense, member of the Expert Council for General Areas of Standardization

Dr. Jaroslava Budinski-Simendic, representative of the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad, president of the committee KS G045, Rubber and rubber products

Prof. Dr. Vlastimir Radonjanin, representative of the Union of Engineers and Technicians of Vojvodina, president of the committee KS U071, Concrete and concrete components, reinforced concrete, and prestressed concrete

Gordan Zovko, long-time representative of Cable Engineering, member of the committee KS N064, Electrical installations

The recipients of plaques for the year 2023 are:

Prof. Dr. Milan Savic, representative of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade, president of the committees KS N017AC, High-voltage installations, and KS N078, Work under voltage, and member of the committee KS N081, Protection against atmospheric discharge

Prof. Dr. Dragana Becejac-Vujaklija, representative of the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, University of Belgrade, member, and then president of the committee KS I1/07, Software Engineering, Application of IT in Education, and the Internet

Business Association Cement Industry of Serbia (CIS), whose representatives are members of three committees: KS U071, Concrete and concrete components, reinforced concrete, and prestressed concrete, KS U071/PKS 1, Concrete and concrete components, reinforced concrete, and prestressed concrete - Cement and lime, and KS Z183, Circular Economy and Waste Management.

The Quality Council monitors and analyzes the implementation of activities in the field of quality infrastructure, provides opinions and recommendations, and discusses issues significant for the development and improvement of quality infrastructure in the Republic of Serbia. Additionally, through its actions, the council contributes to and encourages key stakeholders in the field of quality infrastructure to address current issues and tasks, ensuring the creation of a conducive environment for the development of innovative activities, collaboration, and coordination with relevant ministries. All efforts aim to enhance quality infrastructure and create a better business climate.

Members of the Quality Council and representatives from the Sector for Quality and Safety of Products attended the session.

This is one in a series of events within the "Aid for Trade" project (Support to the Quality Infrastructure Sector of Serbia in the field of conformity assessment of industrial products according to EU rules, with the aim of signing the ACAA agreement).

During the workshop, examples of best practices from EU member states were presented, which could be applied in the Republic of Serbia. There was also a discussion on the need to strengthen administrative capacities and readiness of quality infrastructure institutions and designated conformity assessment bodies for signing the ACAA agreement.

The expert at the event was Miroslav Chloupek from the Czech Office for Standards, Metrology, and Testing (UNMZ). A representative from the Embassy of the Czech Republic in the Republic of Serbia also participated in the event.

Representatives from relevant ministries, designated conformity assessment bodies, the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, and quality infrastructure institutions attended the workshop.

ACAA (Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products) is an agreement aiming to facilitate the access of industrial products between the EU and candidate countries for EU membership.

Representatives from ministries, Quality Infrastructure institutions, designated conformity assessment bodies, as well as representatives from the Chamber of Commerce attended the workshop.

This rulebook enters into force on August 5, 2023, and applies from January 1, 2024. On the day of the start of application of this rulebook (January 1, 2024), the provisions of Article 9 of the Rulebook on footwear labeling ("Official Gazette of RS", number 1/14), which refer to requests for additional written information accompanying footwear, cease to be valid, namely: about shoe size; the name and headquarters of the footwear manufacturer, as well as the importer of imported footwear; intended use of footwear (home footwear, footwear for dry weather, footwear for rain, sports footwear, etc.); footwear maintenance, as well as the way footwear is made (stitched footwear, glued footwear, vulcanized footwear, etc.).

On the date of entry into force of this rulebook, the Rulebook on dosimeters ("Official Gazette of the RS", number 9/16)ceases to be valid.

"This is an ideal opportunity that we can use not only to improve the quality infrastructure but also to promote the wide offer and culture of our country. Serbia has a lot to offer and say, it is a great honor and pleasure that we will have the opportunity to organize such an important event," said Vitas.

 As he stated, today our country is a strong and modern, where people are happy to come, and the Serbian economy showed the world in times of crisis due to the corona virus epidemic, how good results can be achieved with responsible politics. 

As a reminder, the holding of the CEN/CENELEC General Assembly in 2023 in Belgrade was announced by showing a promotional video at this year's General Assembly of the European standardization organizations CEN and CENELEC in Prague. 

The video material was prepared with the support of the project "EU for Serbia - support for safer products" within the component that includes the promotion of standardization and the current campaign aimed at raising the awareness of consumers and business entities about technical regulations, standards and best practices aligned with European rules. 

The Institute for Standardization of Serbia is the only national body for standardization in the Republic. The founder of the Institute is the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the video announcing the General Assembly of European Organizations for Standardization in Belgrade is available on the ISS YouTube channel.

As he stated, a good dialogue not only within institutions, but also between the state and economic operators, is of crucial importance for achieving prosperity. 

"The Serbian economy is making progress, so we must continue to work actively to ensure good results," he underlined. 

The interlocutors discussed future plans, which will contribute to greater development of quality infrastructure.

On this occasion, issues related to the implementation of the Government's Work Plan for 2022 related to metrology were also discussed, as well as future support projects in this area, especially the initiative of the Sector for Quality and Product Safety to participate in the IPA 2021 project, which should start next year, which concerns the free movement of goods.

Awards are given to profit and non-profit organizations for the results achieved in the development and improvement of organizational and business excellence.

The Champion of Excellence award went to the Nelt group from Dobanovci, as well as the Specialist Rehabilitation Hospital Banja Koviljača, while the executive director of Nelt Robert Jenovai and the director of "Banja Koviljača" Aleksandar Jokić are leaders of business excellence.

As it was said, during its three decades of existence, Nelt Group has grown from a small wholesaler with five employees to a system with 4,700 employees in 18 companies in 12 markets.

The special hospital Banja Koviljača, with a tradition of 160 years, provides services in healthcare, diagnostics and treatment, as well as wellness and catering services.

The Milenium team from Belgrade was awarded for excellence in the areas of processes and technology and business results, BUCK Belgrade in the areas of strategy and market and users, and ABD-PROM Jermenovci for leadership and organizational potential.

It was pointed out that the Millennium team has become a regional leader in the construction industry, whose main activity is the design and construction of hydrotechnical facilities, roads, railways, gas pipelines, heat pipes, as well as construction engineering and consulting, as well as humanitarian demining.

BUCK Beograd started its work by designing suspended ceilings, and later started assembling lamps from other manufacturers in order to continue conquering its own architectural, then medical and street lighting.

ABD PROM has been in business for 30 years, it started with the trade of raw materials for agriculture, and since the construction of the cold store, whose current capacity is 5,000 tons, the main activity of the company is the processing and canning of fruits and vegetables.

Acting Assistant Minister Miodrag Duganžija pointed out that the Ministry of Economy supports this event because the recognition is a motivation for constant improvement of business, and thus increasing the competitiveness of the Serbian economy.

On this occasion, he highlighted the results of the work of the Ministry of Economy in this area, that is, some of the current activities and plans that go in that direction.

"At the beginning of this month, we submitted the final drafts of strategic documents for the three-year period to the European Commission, and we hope that we have thereby fulfilled all obligations for the opening of the first negotiation chapter, stated Dugandžija and added: " We wanted to use the knowledge and experience of experts, so at the beginning of the year we formed a "Council for Quality" of businessmen, the scientific and academic community and other interested parties for IQ. One session of the Council was held and we are intensively working on the preparation of materials for the next one, where we hope to adopt recommendations for certain improvements in the conformity assessment system in the Republic of Serbia".

He pointed out that a three-year technical support project was successfully completed at the beginning of November, which helped increase the degree of harmonization of regulations, improved the application of technical regulations by strengthening market surveillance, and contributed to the overall visibility of the quality infrastructure.

"In 2023, we plan to draw up the IQ Strategy for the period 2024-2030, and for these needs, in addition to experts from the economy, the academic community, and the Council for Quality, we expect support from EU pre-accession funds through two projects that we hope will start before the end of the this year," he concluded.

Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization at the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, Mihailo Vesović, assessed that it is impossible to continue business practices without consistent application of quality infrastructure at all levels.

"The good thing about 2021, even though it was difficult, is that the number of issued certificates increased by 15 percent. For the first time, we conducted research with the Ministry of Economy and the Institute for Standardization to see the effect on companies that apply standards in business, and it turned out that 200 companies said that they had a better position on the market because of this," Vesović said.

He also pointed out that it has been proven that companies that have standardized their operations are the most resistant to crises.

The Quality and Business Excellence Forum is traditionally held on the occasion of World Quality Day and European Quality Week, which this year is celebrated under the slogan "New Europe, new quality".

The second part of the Forum is the "With the Quality to the World" consultation, which brought together quality and business excellence experts from Serbia and neighboring countries, who present the latest trends and experiences in the field of quality management and business excellence here and in the surrounding area.

The organizer of this manifestation is the Foundation for the Culture of Quality and Excellence in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, with the support of the Ministry of Economy and under the auspices of the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS).