“Serbia will start EU accession talks in 2013”

BELGRADE Serbia will start the EU accession talks in 2013, Deputy Prime Minister for European integration Suzana Grubjesic told B92. “A key condition for progress on the pathway is solving the issue of Kosovo but the government’s recognition of the province’s independence will not be a condition,” she pointed out. “Serbia will start EU accession talks in 2013” “We can expect to get the elusive date for the beginning of the negotiations, which is important so the entire EU integration process would become irreversible and so we could transform our society during the process,” Grubjesic said. She noted that March was the first month when the EU could decide on whether Serbia should get a date for the beginning of the EU talks in June. The deputy PM said that the EU integration process depended on Serbia’s progress in the dialogue with Pristina. “This is not my opinion, this is an opinion of everybody who follow the process. There are no more two separate tracks, even if it was possible before. Look at the conclusions from December 2011 and December 2012 and you will see that the two tracks do not exist anymore. The only and the most important condition for the date is progress in the dialogue with Pristina,” she explained and added that progress had already been made thanks to Prime Minister Ivica Dacic’s meeting with Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci. “This shows a clear readiness to turn words into action, to implement what has been agreed, something that somebody agreed without a platform. But ok, everything will be implemented from the technical dialogue, that has more elements of a political dialogue but we will call it technical,” Grubjesic said. She added that “Kosovo or the EU” was a “false dilemma”. “Recognition of Kosovo is out of the question. But what needs to be done is to establish some sort of normalization with Pristina. Not that it is only expected and requested, I also think that it is in our best interest,” she stressed. Grubjesic also said that she was not worried about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement regarding the further EU enlargement. “They want to see that we are serious, that we implement what we agree on and this is something that was missing in the previous period. That is when the lack of trust between the German government and the government of the Republic of Serbia happened, especially after her visit in August 2011,” she said. The deputy prime minister said she was optimistic and that she believed that Serbia will start the EU accession negotiations this year. Suzana Grubjesic (B92, file) B92

“Serbia will start EU accession talks in 2013”

“We can expect to get the elusive date for the beginning of the negotiations, which is important so the entire EU integration process would become irreversible and so we could transform our society during the process,” Grubješić said.

She noted that March was the first month when the EU could decide on whether Serbia should get a date for the beginning of the EU talks in June.

The deputy PM said that the EU integration process depended on Serbia’s progress in the dialogue with Priština.

“This is not my opinion, this is an opinion of everybody who follow the process. There are no more two separate tracks, even if it was possible before. Look at the conclusions from December 2011 and December 2012 and you will see that the two tracks do not exist anymore. The only and the most important condition for the date is progress in the dialogue with Priština,” she explained and added that progress had already been made thanks to Prime Minister Ivica Dačić’s meeting with Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci.

“This shows a clear readiness to turn words into action, to implement what has been agreed, something that somebody agreed without a platform. But ok, everything will be implemented from the technical dialogue, that has more elements of a political dialogue but we will call it technical,” Grubješić said.

She added that “Kosovo or the EU” was a “false dilemma”.

“Recognition of Kosovo is out of the question. But what needs to be done is to establish some sort of normalization with Priština. Not that it is only expected and requested, I also think that it is in our best interest,” she stressed.

Grubješić also said that she was not worried about German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s statement regarding the further EU enlargement.

“They want to see that we are serious, that we implement what we agree on and this is something that was missing in the previous period. That is when the lack of trust between the German government and the government of the Republic of Serbia happened, especially after her visit in August 2011,” she said.

The deputy prime minister said she was optimistic and that she believed that Serbia will start the EU accession negotiations this year.