Romania: Serbia deserves candidate status

Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu wants Serbia to receive EU candidate status as soon as possible. Addressing a news conference following the Monday meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Comanescu said that he was optimistic that Serbia's path to the European Union was irreversible, which was why he had said in Luxembourg that the EU had to be ready to take the next logical step—adopt a political decision to grant Serbia candidate status this year. Romania: Serbia deserves candidate status At the General and Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the ministers also voiced their hope that a new government would be formed in Belgrade soon, capable of reinforcing Serbia's path to the EU, the Romanian minister said. It was reported earlier that EU foreign ministers had proposed to Union leaders that they make it clear that Serbia can “accelerate its progress towards the EU” at this week's summit. Acceleration would involve receiving EU candidate status. Only Holland raised objections, and called for this to be omitted or “diluted“. Beta learned the news from officials at the session to take place on Thursday and Friday, who said that the formulation concerning Serbia in the draft version of the summit’s final document had remained as proposed earlier. The document stresses that EU heads of state and government “expect a government in Belgrade with a clear European manifesto that will hasten the necessary reforms.“ EU ministers decided that the final document should refer to the declarations and messages from the EU 27 sent to Serbia following the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Serbia on April 29 in Luxembourg. “Working on the basis of the recently signed SAA with the EU, Serbia can accelerate its progress to the EU, including receiving candidate status“ for EU membership, stresses the draft document. The government in The Hague, Dutch sources in Luxembourg say, continues to believe that Serbia still needs to demonstrate further proof of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in order for “EU doors to open.“ The arrest of war crimes fugitive Stojan Zupljanin is a good step in that direction, but The Hague still believes that the three remaining suspects, including Ratko Mladic, also need to be brought to justice. Dutch sources say that officials in The Hague agree with the fact that Holland “made a compromise“ when signing the SAA, when it insisted that EU ministers be able to review the situation once the temporary trade agreement and ratification of the SAA had begun to be implemented. They need to ascertain whether Serbia has proven that it is “doing everything“ in cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. In return, Holland accepted that “ Mladic in the Hague“ did not have to be explicitly defined as one of the conditions.

Romania: Serbia deserves candidate status

At the General and Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the ministers also voiced their hope that a new government would be formed in Belgrade soon, capable of reinforcing Serbia's path to the EU, the Romanian minister said.

It was reported earlier that EU foreign ministers had proposed to Union leaders that they make it clear that Serbia can “accelerate its progress towards the EU” at this week's summit.

Acceleration would involve receiving EU candidate status.

Only Holland raised objections, and called for this to be omitted or “diluted“. Beta learned the news from officials at the session to take place on Thursday and Friday, who said that the formulation concerning Serbia in the draft version of the summit’s final document had remained as proposed earlier.

The document stresses that EU heads of state and government “expect a government in Belgrade with a clear European manifesto that will hasten the necessary reforms.“

EU ministers decided that the final document should refer to the declarations and messages from the EU 27 sent to Serbia following the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Serbia on April 29 in Luxembourg.

“Working on the basis of the recently signed SAA with the EU, Serbia can accelerate its progress to the EU, including receiving candidate status“ for EU membership, stresses the draft document.

The government in The Hague, Dutch sources in Luxembourg say, continues to believe that Serbia still needs to demonstrate further proof of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in order for “EU doors to open.“

The arrest of war crimes fugitive Stojan Župljanin is a good step in that direction, but The Hague still believes that the three remaining suspects, including Ratko Mladić, also need to be brought to justice.

Dutch sources say that officials in The Hague agree with the fact that Holland “made a compromise“ when signing the SAA, when it insisted that EU ministers be able to review the situation once the temporary trade agreement and ratification of the SAA had begun to be implemented.

They need to ascertain whether Serbia has proven that it is “doing everything“ in cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. In return, Holland accepted that “ Mladić in the Hague“ did not have to be explicitly defined as one of the conditions.