“Postponement of candidate status was mistake”

Chairman of the Working Group on Western Balkans Franz Schausberger believes the European Council made a mistake by not granting Serbia the candidate status. “The key mistake was that the European Council did not grant Serbia the candidate status in December,” said Schausberger, who is taking part in the international conference dubbed "New Regional Policies and European Experiences" in Belgrade. “Postponement of candidate status was mistake” He added that the EU should not set new conditions for Serbia all the time. “I believe that it would be a great political mistake because I think that Serbia is ready for the candidate status. This however does not include a date for the beginning of the negotiations. But granting of the candidate status would be an important symbol and a sign to the pro-European forces in Serbia,” the former Salzburg province president. He pointed out that he was sorry that a positive decision regarding Serbia’s EU candidate status was not made in December but expressed hope that it would happen in February or March. “Germany was the one that prevented you from getting the candidate status,” Schausberger explained. He repeated that the European Commission (EC) had given a positive recommendation and that many EU member states, including Austria, that advocated that a temporary candidate status should be at least granted, were in favor of the candidate status for Serbia. Schausberger pointed out that the EU member states could not keep presenting new conditions as soon as the previous one was fulfilled. “It will be necessary to have a clear vote. I hope that in February, i.e. March this will be the case,” he pointed out, adding that Serbia had done enough to get the candidate status. The Austrian official stressed that Serbia had done plenty regarding Kosovo. “I know that it is not easy to have negotiations with Kosovo from an internal political point of view. I have an impression that the EU and certain countries always watch with just one eye. They ask everything from Serbia and not a single request for Pristina can be heard,“ he explained, adding that it was necessary to balance the positions in the future. Schausberger could not say whether Serbia would be asked to recognize Kosovo ahead of the EU accession decision but he did say that he believed that there were in-between solutions that should be enough for the EU membership. When it comes to solutions for Kosovo, he noted that the most important thing was to find a solution for the parts of Kosovo in which Serbs lived. “I think that it would not be possible to change history and that Serbia would have to accept at some point that a new state was created. My proposal for northern Kosovo, in which majority Serbian population lives, is a solution similar to South Tyrol. South Tyrol is a German-language region in Italy and Austria has a role of a protector,” he explained and added that the model had contributed to peace in the region. “I don’t understand why Serbia didn’t get candidate status” Council of Europe Congress Chamber of Regions President Herwig van Staa expressed hope Thursday that Serbia would soon be granted EU candidate status. “I would welcome the decision to grant candidate status to Serbia,” van Staa told Tanjug on the sidelines of the two-day international conference in Belgrade. “I did not understand why Serbia was not granted EU candidate status at the last meeting of heads of EU member states,” stated van Staa, former president of the Tyrol province. He expressed belief that there were numerous states, among which is Austria, that supported the granting of the candidate status to Serbia. Van Staa said it was important for the states wishing to join the EU to fulfill important criteria such as economic development, promotion of democracy, harmonization of the legislation with the European one, and respect of fundamental rights in line with the Treaty of Lisbon. When it comes to Kosovo, he said that it was a difficult issue as some countries had already recognized its independence, adding that a comprehensive solution should be found. He expressed belief that Kosovo's secession could have been avoided if Kosovo had earlier been given the status that South Tyrol has in Italy. Van Staa also said there was another problematic issue in the region, namely in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was the Republic of Srpska (RS). He assessed it was important to see how the situation regarding the RS would develop. “That is where cooperation between regions in Serbia and RS is significant, which is a possibility to prevent crisis,” he underlined. Tanjug

“Postponement of candidate status was mistake”

He added that the EU should not set new conditions for Serbia all the time.

“I believe that it would be a great political mistake because I think that Serbia is ready for the candidate status. This however does not include a date for the beginning of the negotiations. But granting of the candidate status would be an important symbol and a sign to the pro-European forces in Serbia,” the former Salzburg province president.

He pointed out that he was sorry that a positive decision regarding Serbia’s EU candidate status was not made in December but expressed hope that it would happen in February or March.

“Germany was the one that prevented you from getting the candidate status,” Schausberger explained.

He repeated that the European Commission (EC) had given a positive recommendation and that many EU member states, including Austria, that advocated that a temporary candidate status should be at least granted, were in favor of the candidate status for Serbia.

Schausberger pointed out that the EU member states could not keep presenting new conditions as soon as the previous one was fulfilled.

“It will be necessary to have a clear vote. I hope that in February, i.e. March this will be the case,” he pointed out, adding that Serbia had done enough to get the candidate status.

The Austrian official stressed that Serbia had done plenty regarding Kosovo.

“I know that it is not easy to have negotiations with Kosovo from an internal political point of view. I have an impression that the EU and certain countries always watch with just one eye. They ask everything from Serbia and not a single request for Priština can be heard,“ he explained, adding that it was necessary to balance the positions in the future.

Schausberger could not say whether Serbia would be asked to recognize Kosovo ahead of the EU accession decision but he did say that he believed that there were in-between solutions that should be enough for the EU membership.

When it comes to solutions for Kosovo, he noted that the most important thing was to find a solution for the parts of Kosovo in which Serbs lived.

“I think that it would not be possible to change history and that Serbia would have to accept at some point that a new state was created. My proposal for northern Kosovo, in which majority Serbian population lives, is a solution similar to South Tyrol. South Tyrol is a German-language region in Italy and Austria has a role of a protector,” he explained and added that the model had contributed to peace in the region.

“I don’t understand why Serbia didn’t get candidate status”

Council of Europe Congress Chamber of Regions President Herwig van Staa expressed hope Thursday that Serbia would soon be granted EU candidate status.

“I would welcome the decision to grant candidate status to Serbia,” van Staa told Tanjug on the sidelines of the two-day international conference in Belgrade.

“I did not understand why Serbia was not granted EU candidate status at the last meeting of heads of EU member states,” stated van Staa, former president of the Tyrol province.

He expressed belief that there were numerous states, among which is Austria, that supported the granting of the candidate status to Serbia.

Van Staa said it was important for the states wishing to join the EU to fulfill important criteria such as economic development, promotion of democracy, harmonization of the legislation with the European one, and respect of fundamental rights in line with the Treaty of Lisbon.

When it comes to Kosovo, he said that it was a difficult issue as some countries had already recognized its independence, adding that a comprehensive solution should be found.

He expressed belief that Kosovo's secession could have been avoided if Kosovo had earlier been given the status that South Tyrol has in Italy.

Van Staa also said there was another problematic issue in the region, namely in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was the Republic of Srpska (RS).

He assessed it was important to see how the situation regarding the RS would develop.

“That is where cooperation between regions in Serbia and RS is significant, which is a possibility to prevent crisis,” he underlined.