EU membership "key foreign policy priority"

EU membership "key foreign policy priority"

At an annual meeting of foreign ministers of Visegrad Group and Western Balkans, Dačić said that Serbia is carrying out expedited reforms to achieve the highest European standards in all fields and thereby meet the EU membership criteria.

The Serbian government's plan to end the economic crisis is based on austerity measures, as well as on more substantial budget revenues, mostly through tax collection, Dačić noted.

"Development of the economy - and establishment of sustainable, good governance as a prerequisite for that - is, undoubtedly, among the key issues in the context of the development of the Western Balkan region as a whole," said Dačić, who heads the Serbian delegation attending the Bratislava meeting.

The Serbian foreign minister said that Friday's meeting is another opportunity for a substantial exchange of opinions among Visegrad Group member states and the foreign ministers of Western Balkan states on the current political and economic topics.

Dačić said that he is confident that the exchange of opinions at the Bratislava meeting - in particular the fact that a new regional structure, the Western Balkans Fund, is being established - will contribute to an initiation of a series of regional projects whose implementation will additionally encourage the development of stability and mutual cooperation, including economic progress in the region.

Implementation of successful internal reforms aimed at establishing efficient economic systems is an interest shared by all in the Western Balkans as it will make it possible for living standards and the general quality of life to improve, Dačić concluded.