EC to specify remaining Schengen criteria

The European Commission (EC) will specify the sequence of criteria to be met for visa abolition by the end of February.

Izvor: B92

Saturday, 09.02.2008.

10:38

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The European Commission (EC) will specify the sequence of criteria to be met for visa abolition by the end of February. Since Serbia has met three of the five criteria for entering the White Schengen List, the EU Council of Ministers could adopt the document on criteria at its session in March. EC to specify remaining Schengen criteria Although it is still unclear when the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) will be signed, Serbia could reach the white list by the end of the year. After initial meetings with EC representatives, it was concluded that Serbia had met the bulk of the criteria for entering the white list, and opened the possibility of abolishing visas by the end of the year. A member of the Serbian delegation at the talks on visa relaxations in Brussels, Vladimir Todoric, told B92 that Serbia’s administration and technical capacities were currently above Serbia-EU political relations. “What we still need to do concerns the criteria on illegal migration and public order and peace. If everything’s politically positive, though it is realistic and unrealistic to say how the situation with meeting the conditions I’ve mentioned will unfold, particularly when it comes to security and travel documents, we can expect a positive appraisal of our efforts as early as the end of this year,” explained Todoric. He said that during his stay in Brussels he had ascertained that all the EU representatives were “very disappointed” that neither the EU political deal nor the SAA had been signed. “However, it’s still on the table, it is still being offered so that one of the items on the government’s agenda will certainly be devoted to this agreement,” Todoric said. He added that it was very difficult to predict how matters pertaining to the signing of the SAA would unfold for the time being. “All the efforts put into the 600 pages of the initialed agreement have been brought into doubt both by our own political readiness, as well as by the clumsy way our future has been tied into the Kosovo status process, and the futility of trying to convince countries like Holland and Belgium that the Hague condition has been met to a satisfactory degree,” said Todoric.

EC to specify remaining Schengen criteria

Although it is still unclear when the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) will be signed, Serbia could reach the white list by the end of the year.

After initial meetings with EC representatives, it was concluded that Serbia had met the bulk of the criteria for entering the white list, and opened the possibility of abolishing visas by the end of the year.

A member of the Serbian delegation at the talks on visa relaxations in Brussels, Vladimir Todorić, told B92 that Serbia’s administration and technical capacities were currently above Serbia-EU political relations.

“What we still need to do concerns the criteria on illegal migration and public order and peace. If everything’s politically positive, though it is realistic and unrealistic to say how the situation with meeting the conditions I’ve mentioned will unfold, particularly when it comes to security and travel documents, we can expect a positive appraisal of our efforts as early as the end of this year,” explained Todorić.

He said that during his stay in Brussels he had ascertained that all the EU representatives were “very disappointed” that neither the EU political deal nor the SAA had been signed.

“However, it’s still on the table, it is still being offered so that one of the items on the government’s agenda will certainly be devoted to this agreement,” Todorić said.

He added that it was very difficult to predict how matters pertaining to the signing of the SAA would unfold for the time being.

“All the efforts put into the 600 pages of the initialed agreement have been brought into doubt both by our own political readiness, as well as by the clumsy way our future has been tied into the Kosovo status process, and the futility of trying to convince countries like Holland and Belgium that the Hague condition has been met to a satisfactory degree,” said Todorić.

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