"Agenda 2014" not realistic, says envoy

It is not realistic to expect Serbian accession to the EU in four years, German Ambassador to Serbia Wolfram Maas has stated. In an interview for Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti published today, Maas said "unreserved support Germany offers to Serbia on its way to the European Union did not change", but that it now all depends on the pace of the reforms in Serbia and whether the prerequisites placed before each candidate had been met. "Agenda 2014" not realistic, says envoy The 2014 agenda that Serbia strived for and under which the region countries would become part of the European family in four years is not realistic, said Maas. "Caution is required since such goals may easily create frustrations," the ambassador said. We should always keep in mind the time other countries needed to get accepted, said the ambassador, adding that the road from candidacy to accession may not realistically be completed within four years. "The prerequisites for Serbia are the same as those for other candidates. They include cooperation in the spirit of good neighborly relations. I have never heard anyone say that Serbia should break its ties with the north of Kosovo. It would not be in keeping with our vision of good neighborly relations." "When I think about the north of Kosovo, I always have before me Northern Schleswig, Germany's region of a similar size populated by the Danish minority. No one in his right mind would expect our fellow countrymen of Danish origin to stop their communication with Copenhagen. There are Danish schools there, kindergartens, the Danish queen comes to visit… Nothing is disputable and the administrative and state structure is not disturbed," said the ambassador. He said that the International Steering Group (ISG)-supported plan for "integrating" northern, Serb areas into the Kosovo Albanian system, cannot endanger stability in that area. Both local Serbs and Belgrade rejected the plan. Germany is a member of the ISG. "I cannot see how an attempt to establish a unified legal and customs space in Kosovo, as was envisaged by Resolution 1244, can jeopardize stability. On the contrary, those efforts contribute to stability," believes Maas. Wolfram Maas (FoNet, file)

"Agenda 2014" not realistic, says envoy

The 2014 agenda that Serbia strived for and under which the region countries would become part of the European family in four years is not realistic, said Maas.

"Caution is required since such goals may easily create frustrations," the ambassador said. We should always keep in mind the time other countries needed to get accepted, said the ambassador, adding that the road from candidacy to accession may not realistically be completed within four years.

"The prerequisites for Serbia are the same as those for other candidates. They include cooperation in the spirit of good neighborly relations. I have never heard anyone say that Serbia should break its ties with the north of Kosovo. It would not be in keeping with our vision of good neighborly relations."

"When I think about the north of Kosovo, I always have before me Northern Schleswig, Germany's region of a similar size populated by the Danish minority. No one in his right mind would expect our fellow countrymen of Danish origin to stop their communication with Copenhagen. There are Danish schools there, kindergartens, the Danish queen comes to visit… Nothing is disputable and the administrative and state structure is not disturbed," said the ambassador.

He said that the International Steering Group (ISG)-supported plan for "integrating" northern, Serb areas into the Kosovo Albanian system, cannot endanger stability in that area.

Both local Serbs and Belgrade rejected the plan. Germany is a member of the ISG.

"I cannot see how an attempt to establish a unified legal and customs space in Kosovo, as was envisaged by Resolution 1244, can jeopardize stability. On the contrary, those efforts contribute to stability," believes Maas.