“Good neighborly relations requirement of EU accession”

European Commission (EC) President Jose Manuel Barroso says that one of the requirements for the EU accession is normalization of relations with neighbors. He said that this applied to all countries, including Serbia. “Good neighborly relations requirement of EU accession” “There is one requirement for all EU member countries, that they have good relations with their neighbors. The best way to start this is to solve the concrete problems that exist. After the meetings in Belgrade and Pristina, I think the will is there. I hope you will achieve concrete results very soon,” he told Koha Vision television. Asked when Kosovo can expect to establish relations with the EU, he said that there was hope this will happen. “As you see, I came to visit Kosovo, and this is the first time that the president of the European Commission has visited Kosovo since it declared independence. I was here even before the declaration of independence. I came here today with a clear message. We want to make the European perspective realistic, but this mostly depends on yourselves, on what your country will do to conduct the needed reforms and what it will do to achieve progress in certain areas,” pointed out the EC president. Barroso also expressed hope that accession talks with Croatia would be closed soon, noting that this showed that the future of Balkans in the EU was very realistic. He said that he and Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci had conducted an in-depth analysis of all problems, including the most sensitive issues. Jose Manuel Barroso (Beta)

“Good neighborly relations requirement of EU accession”

“There is one requirement for all EU member countries, that they have good relations with their neighbors. The best way to start this is to solve the concrete problems that exist. After the meetings in Belgrade and Priština, I think the will is there. I hope you will achieve concrete results very soon,” he told Koha Vision television.

Asked when Kosovo can expect to establish relations with the EU, he said that there was hope this will happen.

“As you see, I came to visit Kosovo, and this is the first time that the president of the European Commission has visited Kosovo since it declared independence. I was here even before the declaration of independence. I came here today with a clear message. We want to make the European perspective realistic, but this mostly depends on yourselves, on what your country will do to conduct the needed reforms and what it will do to achieve progress in certain areas,” pointed out the EC president.

Barroso also expressed hope that accession talks with Croatia would be closed soon, noting that this showed that the future of Balkans in the EU was very realistic.

He said that he and Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci had conducted an in-depth analysis of all problems, including the most sensitive issues.