“Slowing down EU enlargement is wrong”

It would be a mistake to slow down EU's enlargement to the Western Balkans, said President Boris Tadic, during his visit to Berlin. Tadic met with President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert, and said afterwards that it would be “necessary fro the European institutions to consider the possibility of accelerating the enlargement process in the coming period”. “Slowing down EU enlargement is wrong” Tadic also noted that Germany, “as one of key EU members”, should also do this. During his visit to the German federal parliament, Tadic said that “Serbia's position is that there should be no great gap between the counties that are following each other on toward EU membership”, as this would serve “only to discourage citizens in those countries awaiting the integration process”. Tadic told Beta news agency in a statement that Lammert “openly said that there were different opinions in Germany on the speed of EU's enlargement process”. “This is related to the moments of crisis that the EU is facing right now because of the situation in Greece and some other countries, abut also because of the artificially accelerated process of integration for some countries that previously joined,” said the Serbian president. Asked whether the issue of German's stance on possible developments after the ICJ has ruled on the legality of the Kosovo Albania unilateral declaration, Tadic said this topic was also considered, “as one of the circumstances that influence the EU enlargement process”. For this reason, Tadic said he “assured Lammert” that Serbia will continue to fight its battle for the preservation of the country's territorial integrity in Kosovo and Metohija in a peaceful manner, exclusively by diplomatic and legal means. The president stated that he pointed out that Serbia today is “a constructive partner in solving all the conflict issues that are preventing the Western Balkans countries from integrating into the EU faster”.

“Slowing down EU enlargement is wrong”

Tadić also noted that Germany, “as one of key EU members”, should also do this.

During his visit to the German federal parliament, Tadić said that “Serbia's position is that there should be no great gap between the counties that are following each other on toward EU membership”, as this would serve “only to discourage citizens in those countries awaiting the integration process”.

Tadić told Beta news agency in a statement that Lammert “openly said that there were different opinions in Germany on the speed of EU's enlargement process”.

“This is related to the moments of crisis that the EU is facing right now because of the situation in Greece and some other countries, abut also because of the artificially accelerated process of integration for some countries that previously joined,” said the Serbian president.

Asked whether the issue of German's stance on possible developments after the ICJ has ruled on the legality of the Kosovo Albania unilateral declaration, Tadić said this topic was also considered, “as one of the circumstances that influence the EU enlargement process”.

For this reason, Tadić said he “assured Lammert” that Serbia will continue to fight its battle for the preservation of the country's territorial integrity in Kosovo and Metohija in a peaceful manner, exclusively by diplomatic and legal means.

The president stated that he pointed out that Serbia today is “a constructive partner in solving all the conflict issues that are preventing the Western Balkans countries from integrating into the EU faster”.