European Union approves SAA ratification

The Council of the European Union decided today to submit the SAA with Serbia to the member-states' parliaments for ratification. A statement issued following the meeting in Luxembourg on Monday said that after the latest report of Chief Hague Prosecutor Serge Brammertz, the Council “notes that Serbia has maintained its cooperation with the Tribunal with a view to delivering further positive results”. European Union approves SAA ratification The statement added that the Council “encourages Serbia to follow the recommendations of the prosecutor”. Ministers also agreed to submit the Stabilization and Association Agreement to their parliaments for ratification, said the press release, adding that the EU “underlines that full cooperation with the ICTY (Hague Tribunal) remains an essential element of the Stabilization and Association Agreement”. As for Serbia's candidate status bid, the statement said that “the Council took note that Serbia applied for membership on 22 December 2009 and welcomed Serbia's commitment to EU integration,” and concluded that “the Council decided to return to the membership application”. Earlier today, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger announced such an outcome of the meeting, saying that, "As far as Serbia’s candidate status application is concerned, it is still on the agenda, and will be discussed at the next meeting, because the time is not right for making a decision on that." He also stated that it was “even more important for Serbia for the Council of Ministers to ask the European Commission to formulate an opinion on Belgrade’s demand for becoming a candidate for EU membership”. Spindelegger stated that "September would probably be a better time to make a decision on that demand". Before the EU Council meeting today, Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz was quoted as saying that more effort should be put in the arrest of fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic, but that progress has been made in Serbia's cooperation with the court. “The report is positive, but at the same time it includes remarks. I will mention the aspects of cooperation that have improved, and also those that could have been better such as the arrest of Mladic and Hadzic. However, progress was made in the search for the Hague fugitives,” Brammertz told journalists of the report he is due to submit to the UN Security Council. He said that parts of the report have appeared in the media and that its content was already known, and underlined that he would report that the cooperation in view of the ongoing trials was positive, but that it should be done more to locate and arrest of the fugitives. “We have repeated this in the past and it is clear that there is no alternative to the arrest of the remaining fugitives,” Brammertz said. The Serbian delegation in Luxembourg today is headed by Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic. Ahead of the meeting today, he said there was “reason for optimism”. “The beginning of the SAA ratification proves that the process of the EU enlargement will continue,” he said. “As far as we know, a number of countries will launch discussion on Serbia's EU candidacy bid. It is quite unlikely that the discussion will yield results on Monday, but it would be important if the ministers decide to consider the issue again in the fall,” according to Djelic. Belgrade and Brussels signed the SAA in April 2008, but the EU suspended the deal immediatelly, citing insufficient cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. The media in Belgrade also reported today that Spain might be the first country whose parliament would ratify the SAA with Serbia.

European Union approves SAA ratification

The statement added that the Council “encourages Serbia to follow the recommendations of the prosecutor”.

Ministers also agreed to submit the Stabilization and Association Agreement to their parliaments for ratification, said the press release, adding that the EU “underlines that full cooperation with the ICTY (Hague Tribunal) remains an essential element of the Stabilization and Association Agreement”.

As for Serbia's candidate status bid, the statement said that “the Council took note that Serbia applied for membership on 22 December 2009 and welcomed Serbia's commitment to EU integration,” and concluded that “the Council decided to return to the membership application”.

Earlier today, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger announced such an outcome of the meeting, saying that, "As far as Serbia’s candidate status application is concerned, it is still on the agenda, and will be discussed at the next meeting, because the time is not right for making a decision on that."

He also stated that it was “even more important for Serbia for the Council of Ministers to ask the European Commission to formulate an opinion on Belgrade’s demand for becoming a candidate for EU membership”.

Spindelegger stated that "September would probably be a better time to make a decision on that demand".

Before the EU Council meeting today, Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz was quoted as saying that more effort should be put in the arrest of fugitives Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić, but that progress has been made in Serbia's cooperation with the court.

“The report is positive, but at the same time it includes remarks. I will mention the aspects of cooperation that have improved, and also those that could have been better such as the arrest of Mladić and Hadžić. However, progress was made in the search for the Hague fugitives,” Brammertz told journalists of the report he is due to submit to the UN Security Council.

He said that parts of the report have appeared in the media and that its content was already known, and underlined that he would report that the cooperation in view of the ongoing trials was positive, but that it should be done more to locate and arrest of the fugitives.

“We have repeated this in the past and it is clear that there is no alternative to the arrest of the remaining fugitives,” Brammertz said.

The Serbian delegation in Luxembourg today is headed by Deputy PM Božidar Đelić.

Ahead of the meeting today, he said there was “reason for optimism”.

“The beginning of the SAA ratification proves that the process of the EU enlargement will continue,” he said.

“As far as we know, a number of countries will launch discussion on Serbia's EU candidacy bid. It is quite unlikely that the discussion will yield results on Monday, but it would be important if the ministers decide to consider the issue again in the fall,” according to Đelić.

Belgrade and Brussels signed the SAA in April 2008, but the EU suspended the deal immediatelly, citing insufficient cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

The media in Belgrade also reported today that Spain might be the first country whose parliament would ratify the SAA with Serbia.