"Serbia is stronger than any criminal structure"

President Boris Tadic today told a conference in Belgrade that Serbia is "stronger than any criminal structure". But he noted that its institutional capacity for efficiently combating organized crime was not fully mobilized until this year. "Serbia is stronger than any criminal structure" "In Serbia today, all prominent mafia bosses against whom criminal proceedings have been completed are in jail. Court proceedings are starting against several more people involved in organized crime, and they will end up in prison sooner or later, because the state is more powerful than any criminal structure," Tadic said. Opening a ministerial conference on strengthening regional and transnational cooperation as a precondition for the successful fight against organized crime in South Eastern Europe, the Serbian president said that Serbia will remain a regional leader in the fight against crime. "Serbia will not desist from combating organized crime, this country is an enemy to organized crime and we will continue to be the firing pin in this fight - this will be one of our key goals," Tadic pointed out. According to him, it was only in 2010 that the country reached the full institutional capacity and the full political commitment needed to fight organized crime, because "organized crime no longer has access to political parties." The Serbian president assessed that the European Union does not fully realize the importance of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans in the fight against crime, and that its assistance to the region in this area is insufficient. Ivica Dacic, Boris Tadic (Tanjug) Organized crime threat to stability in Balkans Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert warned on Monday that organized crime and corruption represent a threat to the stability in the western Balkans and an obstacle to EU accession. At the opening of a two-day ministerial conference on strengthening regional and transnational cooperation as a precondition for the successful fight against organized crime in South Eastern Europe, Degert said that fight against organized crime represents a big challenge for the international community. Pointing out that organized crime and corruption are a threat to the stability in the western Balkans and an obstacle to EU accession, Degert noted the two negative social phenomena are also a big blow to weak economies, and added that regional efforts in the fight have so far been successful. As a positive example of cooperation in the field Degert quoted the cooperation between Croatia and Serbia, as well as the talks with Montenegro, since the region of the western Balkans is often used as a route for drug smuggling and human trafficking. Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Serbia Dimitrios Kypreos assessed that the fight against organized crime cannot be carried out without political will, and that regional cooperation is an imperative for success in this task. Kypreos expressed belief that today's conference help fight organized crime, and added that the OSCE wishes to provide technical support to Serbia to that effect.

"Serbia is stronger than any criminal structure"

"In Serbia today, all prominent mafia bosses against whom criminal proceedings have been completed are in jail. Court proceedings are starting against several more people involved in organized crime, and they will end up in prison sooner or later, because the state is more powerful than any criminal structure," Tadić said.

Opening a ministerial conference on strengthening regional and transnational cooperation as a precondition for the successful fight against organized crime in South Eastern Europe, the Serbian president said that Serbia will remain a regional leader in the fight against crime.

"Serbia will not desist from combating organized crime, this country is an enemy to organized crime and we will continue to be the firing pin in this fight - this will be one of our key goals," Tadić pointed out.

According to him, it was only in 2010 that the country reached the full institutional capacity and the full political commitment needed to fight organized crime, because "organized crime no longer has access to political parties."

The Serbian president assessed that the European Union does not fully realize the importance of regional cooperation in the Western Balkans in the fight against crime, and that its assistance to the region in this area is insufficient.

Organized crime threat to stability in Balkans

Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert warned on Monday that organized crime and corruption represent a threat to the stability in the western Balkans and an obstacle to EU accession.

At the opening of a two-day ministerial conference on strengthening regional and transnational cooperation as a precondition for the successful fight against organized crime in South Eastern Europe, Degert said that fight against organized crime represents a big challenge for the international community.

Pointing out that organized crime and corruption are a threat to the stability in the western Balkans and an obstacle to EU accession, Degert noted the two negative social phenomena are also a big blow to weak economies, and added that regional efforts in the fight have so far been successful.

As a positive example of cooperation in the field Degert quoted the cooperation between Croatia and Serbia, as well as the talks with Montenegro, since the region of the western Balkans is often used as a route for drug smuggling and human trafficking.

Head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Serbia Dimitrios Kypreos assessed that the fight against organized crime cannot be carried out without political will, and that regional cooperation is an imperative for success in this task.

Kypreos expressed belief that today's conference help fight organized crime, and added that the OSCE wishes to provide technical support to Serbia to that effect.