Spain urges reforms, won't change Kosovo stance

Spain is in favor of giving Serbia EU candidate status by the end of this year, says Spanish State Secretary for EU Affairs Diego Lopez Garrido.

Izvor: B92

Monday, 28.03.2011.

14:00

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Spain is in favor of giving Serbia EU candidate status by the end of this year, says Spanish State Secretary for EU Affairs Diego Lopez Garrido. The visiting Spanish official told B92 in Belgrade on Monday that his country was the first to ratify the Serbia-EU Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), and that Madrid supports further, accelerated integrations. Spain urges reforms, won't change Kosovo stance Garrido said he had traveled to Belgrade with the message that the Serbian government should also accelerate its work on reforms that are the condition for achieving candidate status for EU membership. "The message is twofold. First, Spain is a friend of Serbia and supports Serbia on its European path. Second, Serbia should speed up implementing the reforms the EU insists on, so that it can receive candidate status and open up EU membership negotiations," said the Spanish minister. He specified that reforms in question concerned the fields of judiciary, human rights and freedoms, property rights and fight against organized crime. "We expect a positive report on Serbia's progress from the European Commission, but that is not a given, that depends on how far the reforms in question will have progressed," Garrido noted. The Spanish official also stated that the ongoing Belgrade-Pristina dialogue should remain separate from the EU integrations process, and from Serbia's bid to become EU membership candidate. "The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is important for regulating relations within Serbia. We support a political dialogue, but do not think it should be a new condition for integrations," said Garrido. He reaffirmed his country's stance not to recognize the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008. "We cannot accept unilateral political decisions that are in violation of international law. For that reason we remain strongly on our position regarding Kosovo's independence, and will not change it. At the same time, we are telling Serbia to improve its dialogue with Pristina and we have constructive ideas concerning the relations between Belgrade and Pristina," the Spanish official revealed. Garrido is in Belgrade for meetings with Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic and Deputy PM for EU Integrations Bozidar Djelic. Djukic-Dejanovic meets with Garrido (Tanjug)

Spain urges reforms, won't change Kosovo stance

Garrido said he had traveled to Belgrade with the message that the Serbian government should also accelerate its work on reforms that are the condition for achieving candidate status for EU membership.

"The message is twofold. First, Spain is a friend of Serbia and supports Serbia on its European path. Second, Serbia should speed up implementing the reforms the EU insists on, so that it can receive candidate status and open up EU membership negotiations," said the Spanish minister.

He specified that reforms in question concerned the fields of judiciary, human rights and freedoms, property rights and fight against organized crime.

"We expect a positive report on Serbia's progress from the European Commission, but that is not a given, that depends on how far the reforms in question will have progressed," Garrido noted.

The Spanish official also stated that the ongoing Belgrade-Priština dialogue should remain separate from the EU integrations process, and from Serbia's bid to become EU membership candidate.

"The dialogue between Belgrade and Priština is important for regulating relations within Serbia. We support a political dialogue, but do not think it should be a new condition for integrations," said Garrido.

He reaffirmed his country's stance not to recognize the Kosovo Albanian unilateral declaration of independence made in early 2008.

"We cannot accept unilateral political decisions that are in violation of international law. For that reason we remain strongly on our position regarding Kosovo's independence, and will not change it. At the same time, we are telling Serbia to improve its dialogue with Priština and we have constructive ideas concerning the relations between Belgrade and Priština," the Spanish official revealed.

Garrido is in Belgrade for meetings with Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, Parliament Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović and Deputy PM for EU Integrations Božidar Đelić.

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