No date for EU talks would be "hard to explain"

ABU DHABI Aleksandar Vucic has told reporters during his visit to Abu Dhabi that it would be "bad if Serbia were not given a date for the start of EU (membership) talks". It would be "hard to explain to the citizens", the first deputy prime minister said. No date for EU talks would be "hard to explain" According to him, the government has done "many things", based on which he expects that "our country will hear good news when it comes to the EU negotiations date". Vucic will travel to Germany on Wednesday in order to "explain what the government and the citizens have done in the past 200 days", and said he expected "difficult talks". But according to him, much more than expected was done in reforming "the social life", as well as the justice system. He also stressed that a new law on public procurement had been passed, due to take effect on April 1, and described it as being in line with what the EU and the OSCE had insisted on. "We are coming forward with a draft Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption, then the Law on Execution of Criminal Sanctions, and many other drafts of legal norms that are in line both with the Venice Commission's and the EU," Vucic said during his lunch briefing with reporters. "On the other hand, we also launched a serious dialogue with Pristina, implemented what the previous government had agreed on, we are taking part in the talks on the future of relations between Serbs and Albanians and we are doing this in a civilized, decent and reasonable manner. If somebody thinks that Serbia has done a lot, we think that it has, and in that sense I expect a date for the beginning of talks," he said. "I am convinced that we will not be hearing anything bad about our country in Germany, on the contrary there is none of that any longer either in Germany or the German media, but I think it would be difficult and bad news for us if there would be no date because I fear that it would be hard to explain it both to the citizens of Serbia and the political establishment." "It is anything but easy to talk to parliamentarian Andreas Schockenhoff and Defense Minister Demezier, but we are going there so that Mrs. Delevic, Mrs. Grubjesic and I can try and convince them from different angles, from different parties that the whole Serbia wants that, that it would be important for our whole country, above all for the sake of future investments, above all for creating a completely different element, it would mean more jobs for our people, and that would show them that work, effort, and even taking difficulties steps in politics pays off," Vucic was quoted as saying, and adding: "With all the great respect I have towards him I will also tell my friend Christoph Heusgen, Angela Merkel's advisor, that Serbia simply cannot stand it and that it would be a serious problem for our country." (Beta, file) B92

No date for EU talks would be "hard to explain"

According to him, the government has done "many things", based on which he expects that "our country will hear good news when it comes to the EU negotiations date".

Vučić will travel to Germany on Wednesday in order to "explain what the government and the citizens have done in the past 200 days", and said he expected "difficult talks".

But according to him, much more than expected was done in reforming "the social life", as well as the justice system. He also stressed that a new law on public procurement had been passed, due to take effect on April 1, and described it as being in line with what the EU and the OSCE had insisted on.

"We are coming forward with a draft Strategy for the Fight Against Corruption, then the Law on Execution of Criminal Sanctions, and many other drafts of legal norms that are in line both with the Venice Commission's and the EU," Vučić said during his lunch briefing with reporters.

"On the other hand, we also launched a serious dialogue with Priština, implemented what the previous government had agreed on, we are taking part in the talks on the future of relations between Serbs and Albanians and we are doing this in a civilized, decent and reasonable manner. If somebody thinks that Serbia has done a lot, we think that it has, and in that sense I expect a date for the beginning of talks," he said.

"I am convinced that we will not be hearing anything bad about our country in Germany, on the contrary there is none of that any longer either in Germany or the German media, but I think it would be difficult and bad news for us if there would be no date because I fear that it would be hard to explain it both to the citizens of Serbia and the political establishment."

"It is anything but easy to talk to parliamentarian Andreas Schockenhoff and Defense Minister Demezier, but we are going there so that Mrs. Delević, Mrs. Grubješić and I can try and convince them from different angles, from different parties that the whole Serbia wants that, that it would be important for our whole country, above all for the sake of future investments, above all for creating a completely different element, it would mean more jobs for our people, and that would show them that work, effort, and even taking difficulties steps in politics pays off," Vučić was quoted as saying, and adding:

"With all the great respect I have towards him I will also tell my friend Christoph Heusgen, Angela Merkel's advisor, that Serbia simply cannot stand it and that it would be a serious problem for our country."