Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European integration Bozidar Djelic said yesterday in the European Parliament that Serbia’s goal is to start official pre-accession negotiations with the EU in spring 2012.
Addressing members of the parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Djelic voiced hope that heads of states and governments of the EU at the December summit will mark the spring of next year as the date for the beginning of these negotiations.
The Deputy Prime Minister called on the EU to be firm, but fair to our country, and recalled that the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
(SAA) has so far been ratified by 18 national parliaments of EU member states.
He asked a few ones who are still hesitant to ratify the agreement to do so, so that this process could be completed by year’s end.
Djelic expressed his hope that on 12 October the European Commission will give a positive opinion on the candidacy of Serbia and the recommendation to open accession negotiations.
Serbia has been working hard to answer all questions from the European Commission’s questionnaire for EU candidacy and received six technical missions whose recommendations have already been put in place, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
He also said that our country will continue to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), adding that the arrest of Ratko Mladic confirmed this commitment.
Serbia asks for the same standards for the innocent Serbian victims, especially in the case of serious allegations set forth in the report about the illegal trade in human organs, presented by Special Rapporteur of the Council of Europe Dick Marty, Djelic said.
He welcomed the participation of EULEX in the investigation of these charges, but also reminded that all cases of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia have so far been the subject of the institutions which had the mandate of the UN Security Council, which should be the case in this matter as well.
Djelic said that Serbia is determined to achieve concrete results in dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina that will affect the daily lives of citizens of Kosovo-Metohija.
Djelic underlined that Belgrade is determined to preserve the achievement of visa liberalisation and to reduce the number of illegal immigrants and asylum seekers.
He explained that the Serbian government established a Commission for monitoring implementation of the visa liberalisation, and consultations with the European Commission are underway about the way in which Serbia can modify national legislation to better prosecute organisers of groups of asylum seekers.
With respect for human rights, the possibility for travel of those who violate this system will be limited, the Deputy Prime Minister warned.
Speaking about the reform agenda, he informed European Parliament members about the results achieved in the reform of the judiciary, fight againts corruption and organised crime, reform of electoral legislation and restitution.
The Deputy Prime Minister underlined that Serbia will take all available measures to improve economic and social situation in the country.
The crisis in Serbia is passing, but unemployment and inflation remain high, he said, adding that he expects that the real growth of GDP this year will increase by 3%, mostly due to export growth.
This will create conditions for achieving growth of 31% in the first quarter of the year in relation to the same period last year.
Djelic assessed positively the fact that budget deficit is at the level of 4%, and specified that public debt amounts to 43% of GDP.
Serbia is the only country in Europe that got a better position on the list of international rating agency “Standard & Poor’s”, which increased its credit rating to BB grade, Djelic recalled and reiterated that the main thing the state needs to work on is increasing employment and improving social situation.
Source balkans.com
