Serbia should change Constitution, says EP official

Serbia should change Constitution, says EP official

"Serbia will have to change its Constitution before joining the EU, just like other countries had to do it, including Slovenia," the Slovenian politician told a Bosnian television outlet, BHT1.

When asked if that meant Serbia "would have to give up its claim on Kosovo," Kacin responded that he "knew the answer to that question, but could not give it because of his position."

"I, Jelko Kacin, have known for a long time that Kosovo is independent and not a part of Serbia. I, Jelko Kacin, a citizen of Slovenia, know that my country recognized Kosovo's independence a long time ago and that it was the reason the Slovenian embassy in Belgrade was burned and that Serbia will compensate that. I, Jelko Kacin, as Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for South East Europe respect the present situation and the position of the EU, which is neutral in terms of Kosovo's status," he said.

However, that solution is a temporary compromise, Kacin claims.

The EU has absolute faith in the political elite in Serbia, which Kacin describes as responsible towards their own future and that of their people, country and its economy.

Commenting on whether the EU made a precedent in starting the talks with Serbia, "since Serbia has not settled the issue of Kosovo in its Constitution," he stated the accession talks would not have started if they had not been approved by the EU countries that did not recognize Kosovo's independence.

"Now the EU is involved in the negotiations on the Stabilization and Association Agreement with Kosovo, and the EU can enter such negotiations and sign such an agreement only with a country, and not simply a group of people," Kacin noted.

When the reporter pointed out that the EU had in fact started the negotiations with Kosovo even though five of its member-states still did not recognize it, and whether "the EU would demand that Serbia recognize Kosovo," Kacin replied that Serbia was "aware of the situation, mature and responsible."