“Citizens deserve to get EU talks date in June”

BELGRADE Parliamentary EU Integration Committee Chairwoman Milica Delevic says Serbian citizens deserve to get a date for the start of the EU accession talks in June. She added that she expected “positive signals” from Germany next week. “Citizens deserve to get EU talks date in June” Delevic, who is a member of the state delegation that will visit Berlin next week and meet with German officials, is convinced that the talks will be honest and open. “We will present what Serbia has done so far in reforms to German officials. I believe that we will get a positive signal so the country could continue the process in a positive direction,” she told daily Vecernje novosti. When asked if Berlin could come up with new conditions regarding Kosovo that have so far been “hidden and invisible”, Delevic said that the conditions of the European Commission (EC) were public, well-known and that there were no changes. “A full consent inside the EU has been expressed regarding conditions that Serbia should fulfill in order to get a date for the beginning of the negotiations,” she stressed. However, the European Integration Committee chairwoman noted that time was running out and that negotiations with Pristina and Serbia's diplomatic activities needed to be intensified as much as possible. When asked how long Serbia had to fulfill the key condition – normalization of relations with Pristina, in order to get a positive assessment, she stated that the first “lap time” would be the EC’s recommendation on progress made in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and on reforms in Serbia that will be made in April. Delevic noted that it was important for the report to be clear and positive because it would open the door for the date for the beginning of the EU talks date in June. When asked if Germany would halt the decision in June, after the EC’s positive recommendation, she said that it was up to Serbia to focus on the dialogue and reforms so the report would be as positive as possible. Delevic also believes that assessments that parliamentary elections in Germany will affect a decision on Serbia’s EU talks date are “exaggerated”. Milica Delevic (FoNet, file) Tanjug Vecernje novosti

“Citizens deserve to get EU talks date in June”

Delević, who is a member of the state delegation that will visit Berlin next week and meet with German officials, is convinced that the talks will be honest and open.

“We will present what Serbia has done so far in reforms to German officials. I believe that we will get a positive signal so the country could continue the process in a positive direction,” she told daily Večernje novosti.

When asked if Berlin could come up with new conditions regarding Kosovo that have so far been “hidden and invisible”, Delević said that the conditions of the European Commission (EC) were public, well-known and that there were no changes.

“A full consent inside the EU has been expressed regarding conditions that Serbia should fulfill in order to get a date for the beginning of the negotiations,” she stressed.

However, the European Integration Committee chairwoman noted that time was running out and that negotiations with Priština and Serbia's diplomatic activities needed to be intensified as much as possible.

When asked how long Serbia had to fulfill the key condition – normalization of relations with Priština, in order to get a positive assessment, she stated that the first “lap time” would be the EC’s recommendation on progress made in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue and on reforms in Serbia that will be made in April.

Delević noted that it was important for the report to be clear and positive because it would open the door for the date for the beginning of the EU talks date in June.

When asked if Germany would halt the decision in June, after the EC’s positive recommendation, she said that it was up to Serbia to focus on the dialogue and reforms so the report would be as positive as possible.

Delević also believes that assessments that parliamentary elections in Germany will affect a decision on Serbia’s EU talks date are “exaggerated”.