Deputy PM: No reason to worry about EU accession

BELGRADE Serbia's Deputy Prime minister for European integration Suzana Grubjesic says it is normal for the EU to take a break after Croatia's accession. She added that there was no reason for concern over the message sent by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Deputy PM: No reason to worry about EU accession “No candidate country, Serbia included, is knocking on the EU's door, we have years of talks about the 35 chapters ahead of us,” Grubjesic told daily Danas commenting on Merkel's statement that the EU would not make any decisions to start accession talks with candidate countries after Croatia’s accession next July. Presenting a government declaration to members of the Bundestag, the German chancellor said that Croatia would most likely become an EU member in mid 2013, but that, in her opinion, it was not yet time to make decisions to start accession talks with other countries. On Friday, EU heads of state and government adopted in Brussels the foreign ministers' conclusions on enlargement, including the decision to recommend the possibility of opening talks with Serbia in the period between January 1 and July 1, 2013. "Nobody expects Serbia to start accession talks right now. Still, we got a timeframe, i.e. it was stipulated that talks could begin during the next presidency, and the conditions remained the same as in the European Council's conclusions from last December and are tied to visible and sustainable progress in the dialogue with Pristina," concluded Grubjesic. Suzana Grubjesic (B92, file) Tanjug

Deputy PM: No reason to worry about EU accession

“No candidate country, Serbia included, is knocking on the EU's door, we have years of talks about the 35 chapters ahead of us,” Grubješić told daily Danas commenting on Merkel's statement that the EU would not make any decisions to start accession talks with candidate countries after Croatia’s accession next July.

Presenting a government declaration to members of the Bundestag, the German chancellor said that Croatia would most likely become an EU member in mid 2013, but that, in her opinion, it was not yet time to make decisions to start accession talks with other countries.

On Friday, EU heads of state and government adopted in Brussels the foreign ministers' conclusions on enlargement, including the decision to recommend the possibility of opening talks with Serbia in the period between January 1 and July 1, 2013.

"Nobody expects Serbia to start accession talks right now. Still, we got a timeframe, i.e. it was stipulated that talks could begin during the next presidency, and the conditions remained the same as in the European Council's conclusions from last December and are tied to visible and sustainable progress in the dialogue with Priština," concluded Grubješić.