Centre for European Perspective in cooperation with Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia organized fifth training in the framework of project Negotiations with the EU: Techniques, Skills and Content. Training titled 'Negotiations on excise duties on tobacco' concluded two year cycle of tailor made workshops that gathered public servants from Customs Administration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Secretariat for European Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia.
Fifth module focused on potential impacts of the rise of excise duty on cigarettes and tobacco products on Macedonian economy. It was estimated that sudden and high rise would have an extensive negative impacts on the GDP, inflation rate, employment, production, agriculture, social security and some other fields. Ms Milojka Kolar, Former Head of Slovenian Working Group for EU Negotiations and former State Secretary at Ministry of Finance and Ms Verica Hadzi Vasileva Markovska, partner of AAG – Analysis and Advisory Group from Skopje, joined their experiences and knowledge on excise duties and showed trainees how important for Macedonia the level of excise duties on cigarettes and tobacco are. They jointly concluded that rise of the excise duties should start as soon as possible, which would enable slow and gradual adaptation of the economy on new working conditions. However, also trainees were asked to prepare their own analyses in which they predicted changes that rise of excise duty will have on a long run. All the ideas and facts were joined together and trainees updated the justification for transitional period for the rise of excise duties on cigarettes and tobacco from their negotiating position paper that was prepared in module 4, in Skopje in May 2011.
Special emphasis was put on practicing how to most effectively negotiate the subject in question – excises on tobacco. Ms Mojca Žirovnik Bocelli, NLP Trainer, worked with trainees on their argumentation skills, in written as well as in oral communication. Trainees became well acquainted with models used for various situations which enable them clear and short expression of their opinion or position without being provoking or potentially misunderstood. Exercises were derived from the content of negotiating excises on tobacco. Workshops and practices showed substantial change of trainee's communication skills which present one of the key qualities of contemporary relations.
At the end trainees presented their negotiating position paper that serves as a baseline tool for their future negotiations with the EU on chapter Taxation.
