FM: Reforms leading to main goal - EU membership

FM: Reforms leading to main goal - EU membership

Serbia as an EU candidate country endeavors to use all available means to the fullest so as to establish the closest possible cooperation with the Union and its members with a view to accelerating Serbia's EU integration process and economic and social recovery, Dačić said at the conference held on the occasion of the launch of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region.

He underlined that in the previous period, Serbia has proved its commitment to the EU pathway, strengthening of regional cooperation, good neighboring relations, and also normalization of relations with Pristina and implementation of the agreements reached in the course of the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština.

Dačić informed participants of the conference that the government's working group for cooperation with the EU in the Adriatic-Ionian region, which will coordinate activities in the European strategy implementation, is soon to be formed.

Of eight members of the EU Strategy, Serbia is the only one without a direct access to the sea and it is ready to join efforts aimed at establishing a functional connection between the coastline with the hinterland.

Serbia views the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region as a very good framework for practical cooperation both with the EU member states and the partner countries in the region, which like Serbia, strive towards the EU membership, Dačić said.

The EU strategy confirms that only through cooperation and development of good infrastructure, economic and cultural relations, the countries of the Adriatic-Ionic region can achieve concrete results and contribute to realization of crucial economic goals, the Serbian minister said.

The crucial economic goals are to harmonize the macroeconomic systems in the region with high standards of the EU, ensure that infrastructure in the region is developing since that is the basis of development in all other areas, provide a predictable and stable business environment and use the comparative advantages which we have at the local and European markets in the best possible way so that every citizens could feel a change for the better as soon as possible, Dačić said.

The conference in Brussels is organized by Italy, which holds the current presidency of the Council of the European Union, in cooperation with the European Commission, the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative and Italian region Marche.

The Strategy's objective is to deepen cooperation between the countries of the Adriatic-Ionian region in the fields of traffic, energy, economy, environmental protection and tourism.

Aside from the ministers of foreign affairs of the EU Strategy member states, the conference has also brought together officials of the EU, and national and regional bodies in charge of managing the EU funds.