Rompuy: Ratification of SAA in June

European President Herman Van Rompuy said after talks with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic that he was hoping that the SAA would be ratified by June. Van Rompuy expressed satisfaction in the fact that the interim trade part of Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) has taken effect, adding that he fully supports the integration of Serbia and the Western Balkans into the EU. Rompuy: Ratification of SAA in June He added that he had spoken on Thursday to Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who had comended the level of cooperation between Serbia and the Tribunal. The EU chairman stressed, however, that he expects additional effort from Serbia in achieveing full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. He emphasized that the key part of the association process of the Western Balkans was regional cooperation and added that it should also include Kosovo “in a pragmatic way.“ Rompuy said that the importance of preserving the integrity and soverignity of Bosnia-Herzegovina had been underlined during the talks with the Serbian PM, and he welcomed the initiative of Serbian President Boris Tadic for the adoption of the Srebrenica resolution by the Serbian parliament. He stressed the importance of strengthening the rule of law and the implementation of European reforms, adding that further reforms of the judiciary are needed in order to achieve European standards. Cvetkovic stated that the government in Belgrade is pro-European and that integration into the EU is at the top of its priority list. He said that efforts would be made in order for Serbia to acheive a candidate status this year, adding that he hopes that the SAA ratification process would begin prior to that. Cvetkovic pointed out that Belgrade authorities are committed to the completion of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. He said that regional cooperation is a joint value shared by the EU and Serbia, adding that everything would be done to help strengthen cooperation between Serbia and its neighbors. As it was expected, one of the topics of the meeting was the sudden influx of asylum-seekers from Serbia to Belgium this year. Belgian Secretary of State for Immigration and Asylum Melchior Wathelet says that number of Serbian citizens seeking asylum after visa liberalization is enormous, much larger than during all of 2009, and that it showed how big a problem the Belgian government is facing. “People who left Serbia deserve to get real information. They must know that they are always welcome to Belgium as tourists, for some time, but they will never get financial help from Belgian authorities. And that’s why I’m traveling to Serbia next week, to try to find a solution with the help from the European Commission (EC) and Serbian government,“ he said. Mirko Cvetkovic and Herman Van Rompuy (FoNet)

Rompuy: Ratification of SAA in June

He added that he had spoken on Thursday to Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, who had comended the level of cooperation between Serbia and the Tribunal.

The EU chairman stressed, however, that he expects additional effort from Serbia in achieveing full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

He emphasized that the key part of the association process of the Western Balkans was regional cooperation and added that it should also include Kosovo “in a pragmatic way.“

Rompuy said that the importance of preserving the integrity and soverignity of Bosnia-Herzegovina had been underlined during the talks with the Serbian PM, and he welcomed the initiative of Serbian President Boris Tadić for the adoption of the Srebrenica resolution by the Serbian parliament.

He stressed the importance of strengthening the rule of law and the implementation of European reforms, adding that further reforms of the judiciary are needed in order to achieve European standards.

Cvetković stated that the government in Belgrade is pro-European and that integration into the EU is at the top of its priority list.

He said that efforts would be made in order for Serbia to acheive a candidate status this year, adding that he hopes that the SAA ratification process would begin prior to that.

Cvetković pointed out that Belgrade authorities are committed to the completion of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

He said that regional cooperation is a joint value shared by the EU and Serbia, adding that everything would be done to help strengthen cooperation between Serbia and its neighbors.

As it was expected, one of the topics of the meeting was the sudden influx of asylum-seekers from Serbia to Belgium this year.

Belgian Secretary of State for Immigration and Asylum Melchior Wathelet says that number of Serbian citizens seeking asylum after visa liberalization is enormous, much larger than during all of 2009, and that it showed how big a problem the Belgian government is facing.

“People who left Serbia deserve to get real information. They must know that they are always welcome to Belgium as tourists, for some time, but they will never get financial help from Belgian authorities. And that’s why I’m traveling to Serbia next week, to try to find a solution with the help from the European Commission (EC) and Serbian government,“ he said.