“Serbia must finish reforms, improve relations with Kosovo"

European Commission's Director General for Enlargement Stefano Sanino says Serbia must continue reforms and improve relations with Pristina. He explained that Serbia needed to do this in order to start the accession talks. “Serbia must finish reforms, improve relations with Kosovo" In his address at a meeting of an expert group of the Coordination Body for the EU Accession Process, Sanino said that “further efforts toward a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo” were necessary. He said that granting of the EU candidate status was an important step in Serbia’s EU accession but that there was still a lot of work to do “in many areas”. The EC official especially stressed that Serbia needed to finish the state administration and judicial reforms. Sanino stressed that the EU candidate status was a very important political signal thanks to which Serbia was entering a new phase of the integration. He added that this was a joint process and that Serbia had the European institutions’ support along the way. Serbian President Boris Tadic pointed out that the Serbian government, political parties, individuals and state officials had an obligation to provide a stable political atmosphere that would encourage the negotiations, and not one that would lead to conflict in the region and in relations with the EU. "That is a task for everyone who is going to lead Serbia in the coming years. It is a task that should mobilize every participant of the political process," he explained. “Serbia will have to be hard-working and brave and seek a general solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue,” he noted. "I am going to continue persuading European partners that it is beneficial for the EU as well. This society is entering an age of negotiations, faster changes and accelerated reforms," the president pointed out. Serbian government’s EU Integration Office Director Milica Delevic said that Serbia had a formed structure for the EU accession negotiations which was made after the Sabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) had been signed. She repeated that 80 percent of the National Integration Plan had been fulfilled in the previous four years. Sanino will also take part in a round table dubbed “Serbia’s EU accession negotiations – an opportunity to take part in changes”, organized by the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, European Movement in Serbia and the EU Integration Office. Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence Director Sonja Liht explained that the EC had created certain steps ahead of the EU accession talks so the candidate states could prepare for the negotiations. “This is why Sanino’s arrival is important for Serbia,” she said. “We want to send a clear message to everybody in the country and in Europe that Serbia will take part in the negotiations not only on the level of executive authority but on the level of all other structures, including the civil society, economy and universities,” Liht explained. Stefano Sanino, Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic, Sonja Liht and Milica Delevic (Tanjug) B92 Tanjug

“Serbia must finish reforms, improve relations with Kosovo"

In his address at a meeting of an expert group of the Coordination Body for the EU Accession Process, Sanino said that “further efforts toward a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo” were necessary.

He said that granting of the EU candidate status was an important step in Serbia’s EU accession but that there was still a lot of work to do “in many areas”.

The EC official especially stressed that Serbia needed to finish the state administration and judicial reforms.

Sanino stressed that the EU candidate status was a very important political signal thanks to which Serbia was entering a new phase of the integration.

He added that this was a joint process and that Serbia had the European institutions’ support along the way.

Serbian President Boris Tadić pointed out that the Serbian government, political parties, individuals and state officials had an obligation to provide a stable political atmosphere that would encourage the negotiations, and not one that would lead to conflict in the region and in relations with the EU.

"That is a task for everyone who is going to lead Serbia in the coming years. It is a task that should mobilize every participant of the political process," he explained.

“Serbia will have to be hard-working and brave and seek a general solution to the Kosovo and Metohija issue,” he noted.

"I am going to continue persuading European partners that it is beneficial for the EU as well. This society is entering an age of negotiations, faster changes and accelerated reforms," the president pointed out.

Serbian government’s EU Integration Office Director Milica Delević said that Serbia had a formed structure for the EU accession negotiations which was made after the Sabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) had been signed.

She repeated that 80 percent of the National Integration Plan had been fulfilled in the previous four years.

Sanino will also take part in a round table dubbed “Serbia’s EU accession negotiations – an opportunity to take part in changes”, organized by the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence, European Movement in Serbia and the EU Integration Office.

Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence Director Sonja Liht explained that the EC had created certain steps ahead of the EU accession talks so the candidate states could prepare for the negotiations.

“This is why Sanino’s arrival is important for Serbia,” she said.

“We want to send a clear message to everybody in the country and in Europe that Serbia will take part in the negotiations not only on the level of executive authority but on the level of all other structures, including the civil society, economy and universities,” Liht explained.