Dutch FM: No change on Serbia

Go and cry to Putin.

Serbia will enter the EU once Albania and Kosovo give the green light for Serbia to join.

The likely scenario on how the EU accession is to unfold in coming years.

2011: Croatia in the EU
2013: Albania in the EU
2015: Kosovo and Montenegro in the EU

2016 Macedonia in the EU
(Providing that problems about the name with Greece are overcome, as well as Albania & Kosovo agree inspect whether Albanians are treated equal as the Maceodnian partners)

2020 Serbia will send Mladic in the Hague

2021 Serbia will undoubtedly recognise Kosovo, appologise, agree to pay reparations to the victims of the war

2022 Serbia in EU (Dutch and Kosovars will give Serbia green light to enter the EU)

Serbia might join the EU in 2022, providing Kosovo government agrees.
(PRN, 28 October 2009 10:16)

This is hysterical! PRN, you forgot these:

2010: After viewing the awesome Kosovo ad campaign on CNN, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, IBM, Apple, and Nokia have all uprooted their factories and moved to Kosovo!

2011: The Cannes Film Festival will be moved too... Decani!

2014: The Olympics will be held in Kosovo - their true home!

What a bright future:)

Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex.
(Arsim, 28 October 2009 11:47)
--
My god, you are right! It is EU prison camp "Kosova" with the head being one Feith and the guards having EULEX badges. No wonder they are so keen to seal the boundary and place EULEX watch towers around it. It's all for the benefit of the prisoners' freedom of movement.

Good on you holland, Serbia doesn't need to be part of EU. You can get your cheap labour from Albania. Mladic will never be caught so Serbia will never join. Thank you holland!

Personally, I think this is good news. I would prefer Serbia stays out of the EU as I can't see any benefit being a member. We already have trade agreements so with visa free travel, why should we give up our independence to autocrats in Brussels?

I think we will remain out of the EU just like we remained out of the Warsaw pact. This policy from Holland is a blessing in disguise as far as I'm concerned.

So tell me, what benefits will EU membership offer Serbia that it couldn't achieve out of the union? I'm all ears my friends.

PRN:
Cry for Putin? Laugh with Putin more like it.

Personally, couldn't care less about the EU & believe Serbia is better off outside it.

As for so-called 'republic of Kosovo', simply won't happen without Serbia's approval. That particular black-hole is just going to get darker & darker until the K-albanians finally come to their senses or it implodes.

Dutch are doing the serbs a favour.

ps: And as for Albania.. who cares.

"PRN"...you have an admirable sense of humor.
Can't say more then thanks for providing me with a good laugh this morning....deeply grateful for that.
As you say...see you in EU in 2022...of course of you Kosovo Albanians "allow" it.

first of all, what holland will do or not do, will be decided in london.

and secondly, thank you mr. verhagen! serbia will NEVER be eu-member, and you are very helpfull in that.

Go and cry to Putin.

Serbia will enter the EU once Albania and Kosovo give the green light for Serbia to join.

The likely scenario on how the EU accession is to unfold in coming years.

2011: Croatia in the EU
2013: Albania in the EU
2015: Kosovo and Montenegro in the EU

2016 Macedonia in the EU
(Providing that problems about the name with Greece are overcome, as well as Albania & Kosovo agree inspect whether Albanians are treated equal as the Maceodnian partners)

2020 Serbia will send Mladic in the Hague

2021 Serbia will undoubtedly recognise Kosovo, appologise, agree to pay reparations to the victims of the war

2022 Serbia in EU (Dutch and Kosovars will give Serbia green light to enter the EU)

Serbia might join the EU in 2022, providing Kosovo government agrees.

I'm with Zoran here. If Serbia has visa free travel and trade agreements with the EU, that is all we need. We don't need to become members of that immoral club where some members are more equal than others.
Let's be an example to the rest of the world that you don't have to be a bootlicking subservient to the colonialists to be prospersous. Freedom and independence is the way to go, as always, for Serbia. That is what separates us from our neighbours, and that is what makes us unique.
Cheers!!

Why didn't you place Turkey, Bosnia and Iceland in your forecast ?

It is quite clear that the Dutch are coming under intense pressure to change their policy by other EU states. We have heard the 'view' from pro albanian countries like the UK who 'support' Serbia in this case.

Then again, the Dutch can stick to their plan and the EU can flush their Balkan Stability Pact down the toilet.

What is Dutch for 'cutting one's nose off despite the face?'

As for entry dates for other 'candidate countries' and potential CCs, that is like predicting who is going to win the lotto.

After the Ro & Bg fiasco, the EU is no longer going to completely ignore whole sections of the EU entry criteria because the candidates are 'friends'. Once bitten, twice shy etc.

As for the albanian commenters comments about Serbia not joining the EU, well the albanian controlled parts of kosovo are excluded from the upcoming visa-free regime between Serbia and the EU and those albanian controlled parts certainly won't be joining the EU before Serbia.

The reason 'Kosova' is not included is not just because of Justice and Home Affairs issues, but they are terrified of facing a flood of economic and political asylum seekers, though they are too diplomatic to say so and especially considering the fact that there is no effective border (i.e. v. easy to avoid) between Albania and mythical 'Kosova'.

Haha, I have to join the chorus of PRN fans. Dude, your comments are consistently devoid of any cognitive thinking, but dammit man, they do bring a smile to my face. Don't ever change that "can do" attitude of yours, mate.

If Holland, and other Brussel ministers will not allow Serbia to advance in its attempt to join the EU, why all the visits from various EU ministers to Belgrade? Why all the press from various EU mouthpieces? Why all the suppossed backing from every EU voice that comes to Serbia? EU, leave Serbia alone then, if your only interest is to have Holland face face for their breakdown in Bosnia, that cost thoausands of innocent lives that they were there to protect. Do the Dutch really think that by having Mladic in the Hague will absolve them from their ineptness during Bosnia's wars? Please Serbia, keep an arms length with these Eurocrats, they are not your friends.

Every day Serbs must do something in restoring their sovereignty , their economics , their unity , their relations with goodwill states. They should start to pay vanishing attention to what all those multiple officials say to PR themselves. Just improve the situation and keep on fighting. Serbia already is a symbol of resistance and unfair treatment. A Christian country in the center of the civilization suffered so severe just because of a few spots on somebody’s overseas dress …

No reason for panic ! Your rivals are weakening day by day and they are not so united as they seemed to be in 1999. Also the intruder bandits are now better aware of those once exposed as victims. Your leaders proved to be rather Serbs than Yushenko kind Western minded maniacs. You enjoy materialization of the Russian and other support. The Serbophobe tribunal is to vanish forever soon. So things run much better than they used to do. Who cares now of what the Dutch say if all the solutions are taken in Washington , Beijing and Moscow ?

Maxime Verhagen is the big time most untalented Dutch Foreign Minister in the recent history (but as so often and usual also very much most ambitious).

For the decades, if no longer, Dutch Foreign Policy was based on polite neutral pragmatism focused primarily on the protection of Dutch economical interest (best example may be their last FM Ben Bot).
In 2007 we have this "political disaster" coming on power: man without real capabilities for the position, grove in the ranks of his party following the success of his party leader and Prime Minister Balkenende, after his appointment started to develop his "hypocrite concept" to introduce the Worldwide protection of the Human Rights as a leading idea of Dutch Foreign Policy.
Sound nice if it would be principal, but unfortunately The Netherlands, with Verhagen like FM, became one of the World's very much most conservative protectors of Western interests and blind follower of big daddy’s US political ideas (represented for example just few days ago when The Netherlands was among 6 countries who rejected UN Human Right Council report on War Crimes in Gaza from the beginning of the year?).
His political conduct is so controversial that he is rightly criticized in his country too, let's say by prominent Dutch politician Joos Langedijk in his article in NRC Handelsblad.
Not a single word about Verhagen to add.

There is still a certain political hope that Dutch will shortly have to lend their Prime Minister to be the first President of Lisbon's Europe which will provoke new election in The Netherlands and possibly the change of this Serbophob FM with one which would maybe establish more pragmatic, principle and human approach: that would be in "keeping its face up" by reserving the right to block Serbia's final admittance to EU if Mladic not delivered still, but letting process to begin and in that way allowing Serbia to start economical cooperation with EU which would certainly crucially help Serbia in this time of global recession. This "language of economy" would be easily understood and acceptable for Dutch public too.

Time for change in this orthodox stance by Dutch foreign politic has come and it has to be presented to Dutch public which is neither properly informed neither much interested in Dutch position on Serbia's EU integration.
For the years and years here in The Netherlands does exist kind of media blockade of Serbia and we are represented by short and stereotype articles or even worse completely media ignored (let's just mention for example time of disaster when 8 or 10 Serbian tourist have lost their life's in Egypt traffic accident being reported Worldwide...it was curiously enough completely ignored in Dutch press?...Serbs can't be a tourist with cultural interests maybe, but just Mladic followers?). Satanisation of Serbia in The Netherlands is still the act and the fact of the daily politics and media elaborations.
It would be very much high time for stop and change and reverse in this barbaric hypocrisy otherwise Serbia - Dutch relation will reach long time low and not reparable point.

All of this with curious doubt that average Serb still have a wish and interest in Serbia joining EU?

Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?
(Mircea, 28 October 2009 18:51)

Because Romania got so much from joining EU, you're delusional. Latest business news from Romania "An International Monetary Fund delegation heads for Romania on Wednesday to evaluate the country's economic performance, with President Traian Basescu saying the country will not be able to honor all the requirements of its bailout loan agreements.

Basescu says some terms of the $17.1 billion agreement to fight the economic crisis will have to change"

Serbia don't be stupid and join EU, you cant compete with the likes of Germany/France when their average wage is 2000EU and yours will be 500. You wont be able to export anything to anyone, see Lithuania's problems. They economy survived on Milk exports for 100s of years but once they joined EU their Milk exports fell dramatically because they can't compete with German Machinery.
I can't believe how gullible people are, do some research before jumping off the cliff.
Serbia does not need anyone, we can survive from our land like we always have!
Leave EU to the fools!

Mircea,
Yes, just like Switzerland, we want to be a free and independent 'black hole' in Europe.
Your comments defy logic. For my curiousity, would you give up Transylvania to join the EU?
Cheers!!

I'm glad to see that Serbia is not handing over more of its citizens for a place in the EU.
Serbia will survive even if its left out of the EU. The question is will Kosovo survive in the long run without recognition from Serbia?

PRN,

Croatia and Iceland will join the EU in 2012. The rest of the "potential candidate" countries will have to wait.

Zoran and Dragan,

Serbia will have no future if she remains outside the EU.

"Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?"
Mircea

I don't care what our neighbours do! Is Switzerland and Norway black holes in Europe?
Rumania has no pride! If you did you wouldn't betray your brothers. You allowed NATO to kill thousands of Serbs and you want to lecture us.

Forgoto to add this about Romania's economy:

"Romania is mired in a deep recession and political infighting and is dependent on the IMF loan to pay government workers' wages. The economy is predicted to shrink by 8 percent this year."

You stay in EU and keep getting yourself into more debt but not only that your exports will fall to new lows, as you can tell from your shrinking economy, 8%!

Germany lost the war but found another way of controlling EU!

PRN, this is Milosheviq lies! Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex. What you Serbs have, dinars no one wants. Serbia will never be EU country like Kosova.

MikeC,

All of Serbia's neighbors will one day join the EU. Serbia will be a blackhole if she remains outside the EU.

Dragan and Zoran,

Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?

Dragan and MikeC,

Norway and Switzerland are rich countries. Stop comparing Serbia to these countries.

Does Serbia have the standard of living that exists in Switzerland and Norway?

AdamSRB,

Serbia also received money from the IMF. Serbia would also like to receive money from the EU, but it cannot. Why? Because Serbia is not a EU member.

Hehe we may have countries who hasnt recognized us yet, but you have members who wont allow you enter EU befor sending warcriminals to Hague. So much for 'Serbia doesnt need to recognize Kosovo' and still enter.

Oh dear, our resident romanian poster yet again exposes her lack of knowledge and understanding over how the EU functions as well as the specious comment about Serbia being a black hole.

1: Serbia has, and still does receive money from the EU, namely 'pre-accession funds', not to mention other more discretionary funds or special rate 'loans' and grants.

2: Serbia not joining the EU in no way would make it a 'black hole'. It has a skilled workforce, highly capable bureaucrats who can understand and implement measures that are required in the acquis communautaire if needs be. Like Switzerland, Serbia holds a stratgic position (in the Balkans), i.e. the shortest route to asia which is a significant and very important economic factor for the EU.

Switzerland currently pays the EC ~500 million euro per year NOT to be in the EU and in return is now within Schengen and continues to benefit from EU transit trade. Serbia is much larger territory and is the preferred route by long haul transport companies as long as they are not stuck for hours, if not days at Serbia's border (a shameful negelect by the government). Outside the EU, Serbia will continue to receive significant transit revenues, as it will also do so for russian gas transiting via South Stream to Austria (OMV) and Hungary (MOL).

Like other countries (as noted above), the EU has a number of Associate Agreements which give trade and other advantages to countries to which it has particular links. It is not just a case of being an EU member or not being an EU member. The now (renamed and replaced) MEDA policy gave initially reduced import tarifs for the countries of North Africa in to the EU and after a few years none at all. Even take Israel, it pays no import duty on exports of fruit and other products to the EU. They were caught out in a scam where by they relabeled such products produced in the palestinian territories (that attract full import duty) as Israeli products and split the profits with the Palestinian Authority. Other countries with similar agreements with the EU have also be caught out in such scams.

So, as you can see, non-EU member can still benefit quite well. The EU is build on compromise and functions on compromise. If the rules were so hard and fast, then how did Ro & Bg get in?

This was the EU's biggest mistake as Ro & Bg made promises to clean themselves up which they have either been unwilling or incapable of doing. Basically they lied to get in, pure and simple. Bulgaria remains the mafia hub in the Balkans.

The European Commissioner for Enlargement has a file each on Ro & Bg's endemic corruption, very thick files (I can't tell you how I know, but they are very real and very thick files).

From now on, all successive candidate countries are not going to get the free pass that Bg & Ro got. They are not going to accept weak promises in return for later non-materializing action. Not the Kosovo Albanians, not FYROM and not BiH, so dream on.

Serbia already matches or exceeds all that is legally demanded of it by the Commissions acquis communautaire except for the Dutch hold out on Mladic and the non-Serb sounding Hadzic.

Serbia would also like to receive money from the EU, but it cannot. Why? Because Serbia is not a EU member.
(Mircea, 28 October 2009 23:42)

then how does 'kosova' function? they're not an eu member. yet they receive billions annually...

It's interesting that myself, Peggy, MikeC, dean van Der serbia, Dragan etc... are all against Serbia joining EU even though we leave abroad in these "rich" western countries.
There is a reason for this, we know how these countries operate, milk the poorest countries out of their resources to keep their lifestyles happy.

Hopefully Serbia will never join EU!

PRN, this is Milosheviq lies! Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex. What you Serbs have, dinars no one wants. Serbia will never be EU country like Kosova.
(Arsim, 28 October 2009 11:47)

Thank God Serbia will never be like "Kosova". Couldn't think of anything worse.

BTW, please learn to spell names properly before you post.

@mircea- the swiss are richer then srbs thats true but thats because the swiss havent had 20 yrs of economic blockades against them..the bottom line is that srbs are the most capable people on the balkans ...who will surpass all of those EU balkan countries very soon ..the EU's biggest fear is how do they explain to bulgaria or greece or even solvenia in 2015 why is standard of living higher in non EU srbija..do u really think alb or bg sending its soldiers/money to be toilette cleaners or baggage handlers on nato missions is where the future is at ??

@mircea- the swiss are richer then srbs thats true but thats because the swiss havent had 20 yrs of economic blockades against them..the bottom line is that srbs are the most capable people on the balkans ...who will surpass all of those EU balkan countries very soon ..the EU's biggest fear is how do they explain to bulgaria or greece or even solvenia in 2015 why is standard of living higher in non EU srbija..do u really think alb or bg sending its soldiers/money to be toilette cleaners or baggage handlers on nato missions is where the future is at ??
(benzo, 29 October 2009 19:23)

No Benzo the future is in Serbia. I foresee a wave of immigrant applications for a residency permit in the great country of serbia.

Go and cry to Putin.

Serbia will enter the EU once Albania and Kosovo give the green light for Serbia to join.

The likely scenario on how the EU accession is to unfold in coming years.

2011: Croatia in the EU
2013: Albania in the EU
2015: Kosovo and Montenegro in the EU

2016 Macedonia in the EU
(Providing that problems about the name with Greece are overcome, as well as Albania & Kosovo agree inspect whether Albanians are treated equal as the Maceodnian partners)

2020 Serbia will send Mladic in the Hague

2021 Serbia will undoubtedly recognise Kosovo, appologise, agree to pay reparations to the victims of the war

2022 Serbia in EU (Dutch and Kosovars will give Serbia green light to enter the EU)

Serbia might join the EU in 2022, providing Kosovo government agrees.

PRN, this is Milosheviq lies! Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex. What you Serbs have, dinars no one wants. Serbia will never be EU country like Kosova.

Hehe we may have countries who hasnt recognized us yet, but you have members who wont allow you enter EU befor sending warcriminals to Hague. So much for 'Serbia doesnt need to recognize Kosovo' and still enter.

Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex.
(Arsim, 28 October 2009 11:47)
--
My god, you are right! It is EU prison camp "Kosova" with the head being one Feith and the guards having EULEX badges. No wonder they are so keen to seal the boundary and place EULEX watch towers around it. It's all for the benefit of the prisoners' freedom of movement.

Good on you holland, Serbia doesn't need to be part of EU. You can get your cheap labour from Albania. Mladic will never be caught so Serbia will never join. Thank you holland!

PRN,

Croatia and Iceland will join the EU in 2012. The rest of the "potential candidate" countries will have to wait.

Zoran and Dragan,

Serbia will have no future if she remains outside the EU.

first of all, what holland will do or not do, will be decided in london.

and secondly, thank you mr. verhagen! serbia will NEVER be eu-member, and you are very helpfull in that.

I'm glad to see that Serbia is not handing over more of its citizens for a place in the EU.
Serbia will survive even if its left out of the EU. The question is will Kosovo survive in the long run without recognition from Serbia?

PRN:
Cry for Putin? Laugh with Putin more like it.

Personally, couldn't care less about the EU & believe Serbia is better off outside it.

As for so-called 'republic of Kosovo', simply won't happen without Serbia's approval. That particular black-hole is just going to get darker & darker until the K-albanians finally come to their senses or it implodes.

Dutch are doing the serbs a favour.

ps: And as for Albania.. who cares.

I'm with Zoran here. If Serbia has visa free travel and trade agreements with the EU, that is all we need. We don't need to become members of that immoral club where some members are more equal than others.
Let's be an example to the rest of the world that you don't have to be a bootlicking subservient to the colonialists to be prospersous. Freedom and independence is the way to go, as always, for Serbia. That is what separates us from our neighbours, and that is what makes us unique.
Cheers!!

MikeC,

All of Serbia's neighbors will one day join the EU. Serbia will be a blackhole if she remains outside the EU.

Dragan and Zoran,

Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?

Go and cry to Putin.

Serbia will enter the EU once Albania and Kosovo give the green light for Serbia to join.

The likely scenario on how the EU accession is to unfold in coming years.

2011: Croatia in the EU
2013: Albania in the EU
2015: Kosovo and Montenegro in the EU

2016 Macedonia in the EU
(Providing that problems about the name with Greece are overcome, as well as Albania & Kosovo agree inspect whether Albanians are treated equal as the Maceodnian partners)

2020 Serbia will send Mladic in the Hague

2021 Serbia will undoubtedly recognise Kosovo, appologise, agree to pay reparations to the victims of the war

2022 Serbia in EU (Dutch and Kosovars will give Serbia green light to enter the EU)

Serbia might join the EU in 2022, providing Kosovo government agrees.
(PRN, 28 October 2009 10:16)

This is hysterical! PRN, you forgot these:

2010: After viewing the awesome Kosovo ad campaign on CNN, Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, IBM, Apple, and Nokia have all uprooted their factories and moved to Kosovo!

2011: The Cannes Film Festival will be moved too... Decani!

2014: The Olympics will be held in Kosovo - their true home!

What a bright future:)

It is quite clear that the Dutch are coming under intense pressure to change their policy by other EU states. We have heard the 'view' from pro albanian countries like the UK who 'support' Serbia in this case.

Then again, the Dutch can stick to their plan and the EU can flush their Balkan Stability Pact down the toilet.

What is Dutch for 'cutting one's nose off despite the face?'

As for entry dates for other 'candidate countries' and potential CCs, that is like predicting who is going to win the lotto.

After the Ro & Bg fiasco, the EU is no longer going to completely ignore whole sections of the EU entry criteria because the candidates are 'friends'. Once bitten, twice shy etc.

As for the albanian commenters comments about Serbia not joining the EU, well the albanian controlled parts of kosovo are excluded from the upcoming visa-free regime between Serbia and the EU and those albanian controlled parts certainly won't be joining the EU before Serbia.

The reason 'Kosova' is not included is not just because of Justice and Home Affairs issues, but they are terrified of facing a flood of economic and political asylum seekers, though they are too diplomatic to say so and especially considering the fact that there is no effective border (i.e. v. easy to avoid) between Albania and mythical 'Kosova'.

If Holland, and other Brussel ministers will not allow Serbia to advance in its attempt to join the EU, why all the visits from various EU ministers to Belgrade? Why all the press from various EU mouthpieces? Why all the suppossed backing from every EU voice that comes to Serbia? EU, leave Serbia alone then, if your only interest is to have Holland face face for their breakdown in Bosnia, that cost thoausands of innocent lives that they were there to protect. Do the Dutch really think that by having Mladic in the Hague will absolve them from their ineptness during Bosnia's wars? Please Serbia, keep an arms length with these Eurocrats, they are not your friends.

"Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?"
Mircea

I don't care what our neighbours do! Is Switzerland and Norway black holes in Europe?
Rumania has no pride! If you did you wouldn't betray your brothers. You allowed NATO to kill thousands of Serbs and you want to lecture us.

Dragan and MikeC,

Norway and Switzerland are rich countries. Stop comparing Serbia to these countries.

Does Serbia have the standard of living that exists in Switzerland and Norway?

AdamSRB,

Serbia also received money from the IMF. Serbia would also like to receive money from the EU, but it cannot. Why? Because Serbia is not a EU member.

Personally, I think this is good news. I would prefer Serbia stays out of the EU as I can't see any benefit being a member. We already have trade agreements so with visa free travel, why should we give up our independence to autocrats in Brussels?

I think we will remain out of the EU just like we remained out of the Warsaw pact. This policy from Holland is a blessing in disguise as far as I'm concerned.

So tell me, what benefits will EU membership offer Serbia that it couldn't achieve out of the union? I'm all ears my friends.

Mircea,
Yes, just like Switzerland, we want to be a free and independent 'black hole' in Europe.
Your comments defy logic. For my curiousity, would you give up Transylvania to join the EU?
Cheers!!

"PRN"...you have an admirable sense of humor.
Can't say more then thanks for providing me with a good laugh this morning....deeply grateful for that.
As you say...see you in EU in 2022...of course of you Kosovo Albanians "allow" it.

Why didn't you place Turkey, Bosnia and Iceland in your forecast ?

Maxime Verhagen is the big time most untalented Dutch Foreign Minister in the recent history (but as so often and usual also very much most ambitious).

For the decades, if no longer, Dutch Foreign Policy was based on polite neutral pragmatism focused primarily on the protection of Dutch economical interest (best example may be their last FM Ben Bot).
In 2007 we have this "political disaster" coming on power: man without real capabilities for the position, grove in the ranks of his party following the success of his party leader and Prime Minister Balkenende, after his appointment started to develop his "hypocrite concept" to introduce the Worldwide protection of the Human Rights as a leading idea of Dutch Foreign Policy.
Sound nice if it would be principal, but unfortunately The Netherlands, with Verhagen like FM, became one of the World's very much most conservative protectors of Western interests and blind follower of big daddy’s US political ideas (represented for example just few days ago when The Netherlands was among 6 countries who rejected UN Human Right Council report on War Crimes in Gaza from the beginning of the year?).
His political conduct is so controversial that he is rightly criticized in his country too, let's say by prominent Dutch politician Joos Langedijk in his article in NRC Handelsblad.
Not a single word about Verhagen to add.

There is still a certain political hope that Dutch will shortly have to lend their Prime Minister to be the first President of Lisbon's Europe which will provoke new election in The Netherlands and possibly the change of this Serbophob FM with one which would maybe establish more pragmatic, principle and human approach: that would be in "keeping its face up" by reserving the right to block Serbia's final admittance to EU if Mladic not delivered still, but letting process to begin and in that way allowing Serbia to start economical cooperation with EU which would certainly crucially help Serbia in this time of global recession. This "language of economy" would be easily understood and acceptable for Dutch public too.

Time for change in this orthodox stance by Dutch foreign politic has come and it has to be presented to Dutch public which is neither properly informed neither much interested in Dutch position on Serbia's EU integration.
For the years and years here in The Netherlands does exist kind of media blockade of Serbia and we are represented by short and stereotype articles or even worse completely media ignored (let's just mention for example time of disaster when 8 or 10 Serbian tourist have lost their life's in Egypt traffic accident being reported Worldwide...it was curiously enough completely ignored in Dutch press?...Serbs can't be a tourist with cultural interests maybe, but just Mladic followers?). Satanisation of Serbia in The Netherlands is still the act and the fact of the daily politics and media elaborations.
It would be very much high time for stop and change and reverse in this barbaric hypocrisy otherwise Serbia - Dutch relation will reach long time low and not reparable point.

All of this with curious doubt that average Serb still have a wish and interest in Serbia joining EU?

Do you want Serbia to be a blackhole in Europe?
(Mircea, 28 October 2009 18:51)

Because Romania got so much from joining EU, you're delusional. Latest business news from Romania "An International Monetary Fund delegation heads for Romania on Wednesday to evaluate the country's economic performance, with President Traian Basescu saying the country will not be able to honor all the requirements of its bailout loan agreements.

Basescu says some terms of the $17.1 billion agreement to fight the economic crisis will have to change"

Serbia don't be stupid and join EU, you cant compete with the likes of Germany/France when their average wage is 2000EU and yours will be 500. You wont be able to export anything to anyone, see Lithuania's problems. They economy survived on Milk exports for 100s of years but once they joined EU their Milk exports fell dramatically because they can't compete with German Machinery.
I can't believe how gullible people are, do some research before jumping off the cliff.
Serbia does not need anyone, we can survive from our land like we always have!
Leave EU to the fools!

Forgoto to add this about Romania's economy:

"Romania is mired in a deep recession and political infighting and is dependent on the IMF loan to pay government workers' wages. The economy is predicted to shrink by 8 percent this year."

You stay in EU and keep getting yourself into more debt but not only that your exports will fall to new lows, as you can tell from your shrinking economy, 8%!

Germany lost the war but found another way of controlling EU!

Every day Serbs must do something in restoring their sovereignty , their economics , their unity , their relations with goodwill states. They should start to pay vanishing attention to what all those multiple officials say to PR themselves. Just improve the situation and keep on fighting. Serbia already is a symbol of resistance and unfair treatment. A Christian country in the center of the civilization suffered so severe just because of a few spots on somebody’s overseas dress …

No reason for panic ! Your rivals are weakening day by day and they are not so united as they seemed to be in 1999. Also the intruder bandits are now better aware of those once exposed as victims. Your leaders proved to be rather Serbs than Yushenko kind Western minded maniacs. You enjoy materialization of the Russian and other support. The Serbophobe tribunal is to vanish forever soon. So things run much better than they used to do. Who cares now of what the Dutch say if all the solutions are taken in Washington , Beijing and Moscow ?

Haha, I have to join the chorus of PRN fans. Dude, your comments are consistently devoid of any cognitive thinking, but dammit man, they do bring a smile to my face. Don't ever change that "can do" attitude of yours, mate.

It's interesting that myself, Peggy, MikeC, dean van Der serbia, Dragan etc... are all against Serbia joining EU even though we leave abroad in these "rich" western countries.
There is a reason for this, we know how these countries operate, milk the poorest countries out of their resources to keep their lifestyles happy.

Hopefully Serbia will never join EU!

Oh dear, our resident romanian poster yet again exposes her lack of knowledge and understanding over how the EU functions as well as the specious comment about Serbia being a black hole.

1: Serbia has, and still does receive money from the EU, namely 'pre-accession funds', not to mention other more discretionary funds or special rate 'loans' and grants.

2: Serbia not joining the EU in no way would make it a 'black hole'. It has a skilled workforce, highly capable bureaucrats who can understand and implement measures that are required in the acquis communautaire if needs be. Like Switzerland, Serbia holds a stratgic position (in the Balkans), i.e. the shortest route to asia which is a significant and very important economic factor for the EU.

Switzerland currently pays the EC ~500 million euro per year NOT to be in the EU and in return is now within Schengen and continues to benefit from EU transit trade. Serbia is much larger territory and is the preferred route by long haul transport companies as long as they are not stuck for hours, if not days at Serbia's border (a shameful negelect by the government). Outside the EU, Serbia will continue to receive significant transit revenues, as it will also do so for russian gas transiting via South Stream to Austria (OMV) and Hungary (MOL).

Like other countries (as noted above), the EU has a number of Associate Agreements which give trade and other advantages to countries to which it has particular links. It is not just a case of being an EU member or not being an EU member. The now (renamed and replaced) MEDA policy gave initially reduced import tarifs for the countries of North Africa in to the EU and after a few years none at all. Even take Israel, it pays no import duty on exports of fruit and other products to the EU. They were caught out in a scam where by they relabeled such products produced in the palestinian territories (that attract full import duty) as Israeli products and split the profits with the Palestinian Authority. Other countries with similar agreements with the EU have also be caught out in such scams.

So, as you can see, non-EU member can still benefit quite well. The EU is build on compromise and functions on compromise. If the rules were so hard and fast, then how did Ro & Bg get in?

This was the EU's biggest mistake as Ro & Bg made promises to clean themselves up which they have either been unwilling or incapable of doing. Basically they lied to get in, pure and simple. Bulgaria remains the mafia hub in the Balkans.

The European Commissioner for Enlargement has a file each on Ro & Bg's endemic corruption, very thick files (I can't tell you how I know, but they are very real and very thick files).

From now on, all successive candidate countries are not going to get the free pass that Bg & Ro got. They are not going to accept weak promises in return for later non-materializing action. Not the Kosovo Albanians, not FYROM and not BiH, so dream on.

Serbia already matches or exceeds all that is legally demanded of it by the Commissions acquis communautaire except for the Dutch hold out on Mladic and the non-Serb sounding Hadzic.

PRN, this is Milosheviq lies! Kosova is EU country now, we have Euro and Eulex. What you Serbs have, dinars no one wants. Serbia will never be EU country like Kosova.
(Arsim, 28 October 2009 11:47)

Thank God Serbia will never be like "Kosova". Couldn't think of anything worse.

BTW, please learn to spell names properly before you post.

Serbia would also like to receive money from the EU, but it cannot. Why? Because Serbia is not a EU member.
(Mircea, 28 October 2009 23:42)

then how does 'kosova' function? they're not an eu member. yet they receive billions annually...

@mircea- the swiss are richer then srbs thats true but thats because the swiss havent had 20 yrs of economic blockades against them..the bottom line is that srbs are the most capable people on the balkans ...who will surpass all of those EU balkan countries very soon ..the EU's biggest fear is how do they explain to bulgaria or greece or even solvenia in 2015 why is standard of living higher in non EU srbija..do u really think alb or bg sending its soldiers/money to be toilette cleaners or baggage handlers on nato missions is where the future is at ??

@mircea- the swiss are richer then srbs thats true but thats because the swiss havent had 20 yrs of economic blockades against them..the bottom line is that srbs are the most capable people on the balkans ...who will surpass all of those EU balkan countries very soon ..the EU's biggest fear is how do they explain to bulgaria or greece or even solvenia in 2015 why is standard of living higher in non EU srbija..do u really think alb or bg sending its soldiers/money to be toilette cleaners or baggage handlers on nato missions is where the future is at ??
(benzo, 29 October 2009 19:23)

No Benzo the future is in Serbia. I foresee a wave of immigrant applications for a residency permit in the great country of serbia.