EU does have new conditions, daily insists

Politicians’ statements that the EU does not have any new conditions regarding Kosovo are "only formal", Belgrade-based daily Politika claims. The daily reported on Tuesday that the Serbian politicians were withholding additional EU conditions that Serbia needs to fulfill. EU does have new conditions, daily insists According to Politika, Belgrade will have to implement the agreements reached with Pristina in Brussels, to abolish the so-called parallel institutions in northern Kosovo, to open an office in Pristina and allow Pristina to open its office in Belgrade, to close the Kosovska Mitrovica Court, to accept a special country code for Kosovo and to agree to top-level meetings between Belgrade and Pristina if it wants to continue the EU integration. The daily writes that those are not official conditions of the European Commission (EC) but that the EU officials have already presented them to the Serbian side several times. Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) acting leader Aleksandar Vucic has confirmed that opening of the offices in Belgrade and Pristina is not an official condition but that it has been discussed for two or three years. The EC assessed last December that Serbia had fulfilled the conditions for the candidate status but Germany opposed it and insisted on conditions that “were not official EU conditions”, the daily writes. Politika points out that EU High Representative Catherine Ashton's Spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said that the EU had no new conditions for Serbia but at the same time repeated the European Council’s request that Serbia must reach a “visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo”. She refused to elaborate on what the “improvement of relations with Kosovo” meant, the daily noted. According to Politika, it is no coincidence that the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic, who is currently holding the cards when it comes to the forming of the new government, was the one who revealed some of the conditions that Belgrade is expected to fulfill. “Do you think that we can join a government that will say after three days that this needs to be fulfilled, to open the Serbian government’s office in Pristina and Kosovo government’s office in Belgrade,” he said recently. Pristina-based Albanian language daily Koha Ditore reported on Wednesday that the opening of the offices was on the list of conditions. A special country code for Kosovo was also discussed, Politika writes, adding that Serbia opposes the idea because the authorities are aware that they would this way recognize Kosovo’s independence. Politika

EU does have new conditions, daily insists

According to Politika, Belgrade will have to implement the agreements reached with Priština in Brussels, to abolish the so-called parallel institutions in northern Kosovo, to open an office in Priština and allow Priština to open its office in Belgrade, to close the Kosovska Mitrovica Court, to accept a special country code for Kosovo and to agree to top-level meetings between Belgrade and Priština if it wants to continue the EU integration.

The daily writes that those are not official conditions of the European Commission (EC) but that the EU officials have already presented them to the Serbian side several times.

Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) acting leader Aleksandar Vučić has confirmed that opening of the offices in Belgrade and Priština is not an official condition but that it has been discussed for two or three years.

The EC assessed last December that Serbia had fulfilled the conditions for the candidate status but Germany opposed it and insisted on conditions that “were not official EU conditions”, the daily writes.

Politika points out that EU High Representative Catherine Ashton's Spokeswoman Maja Kocijančić said that the EU had no new conditions for Serbia but at the same time repeated the European Council’s request that Serbia must reach a “visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo”.

She refused to elaborate on what the “improvement of relations with Kosovo” meant, the daily noted.

According to Politika, it is no coincidence that the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dačić, who is currently holding the cards when it comes to the forming of the new government, was the one who revealed some of the conditions that Belgrade is expected to fulfill.

“Do you think that we can join a government that will say after three days that this needs to be fulfilled, to open the Serbian government’s office in Priština and Kosovo government’s office in Belgrade,” he said recently.

Priština-based Albanian language daily Koha Ditore reported on Wednesday that the opening of the offices was on the list of conditions.

A special country code for Kosovo was also discussed, Politika writes, adding that Serbia opposes the idea because the authorities are aware that they would this way recognize Kosovo’s independence.