Serbia faces no new EU conditions, says EU official

Pierre Mirel said in Belgrade Friday that Serbia has made considerable progress toward the EU and that no new conditions will be imposed in the further process. Mirel is director for Western Balkans in the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement. Serbia faces no new EU conditions, says EU official At a joint press conference with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, Mirel underscored that the conditions for EU integration are well known, adding that no new conditions will be imposed, and that the EC's opinion relies on the implementation of the Copenhagen Criteria. The main question is whether Serbia has made sufficient progress in implementing the Copenhagen Criteria, which would enable the country to join the EU, said Mirel, adding that this includes regional cooperation. "We hope and we expect that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue will yield concrete results," he stressed. "As it was pointed out by EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, we have noted a considerable progress, and we encourage the Serbian government to continue with the reforms, so as to help us give a positive opinion," Mirel said. Mirel and Djelic in Belgrade today (Tanjug) Next spring Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic said Friday that Serbia would not be given new conditions for EU accession, and that he hoped formal talks would start next spring. "We hope that a consensus will be reached on December 9 to make Serbia an EU membership candidate and to define a starting date for accession talks, and I hope talks will formally start in the spring on 2012," Djelic told reporters after an EU-Serbia Enhanced Permanent Dialogue meeting, which was also attended by head of the Western Balkans Directorate at the EU Enlargement Directorate General Pierre Mirel. Djelic added that Serbia was aware that the arrest of Hague indictee Ratko Mladic was an important moment for the country's European integration, but that it was not enough to ensure candidate status and the start of accession talks. He stressed that Serbia would continue to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and conduct reforms. Talking about laws which need to be passed, Djelic said that a restitution bill was ready, consultations with parties were ongoing and a public debate would be held over the summer, so that the bill could go before the parliament in the fall. Serbia has passed a law on the election of MPs, and will soon pass a political party funding bill, which is currently under debate in the parliament, which leaves only a public property bill, Djelic reminded.

Serbia faces no new EU conditions, says EU official

At a joint press conference with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić, Mirel underscored that the conditions for EU integration are well known, adding that no new conditions will be imposed, and that the EC's opinion relies on the implementation of the Copenhagen Criteria.

The main question is whether Serbia has made sufficient progress in implementing the Copenhagen Criteria, which would enable the country to join the EU, said Mirel, adding that this includes regional cooperation.

"We hope and we expect that the Belgrade-Priština dialogue will yield concrete results," he stressed.

"As it was pointed out by EC President Jose Manuel Barroso and Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule, we have noted a considerable progress, and we encourage the Serbian government to continue with the reforms, so as to help us give a positive opinion," Mirel said.

Next spring

Serbia's Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Božidar Đelić said Friday that Serbia would not be given new conditions for EU accession, and that he hoped formal talks would start next spring.

"We hope that a consensus will be reached on December 9 to make Serbia an EU membership candidate and to define a starting date for accession talks, and I hope talks will formally start in the spring on 2012," Đelić told reporters after an EU-Serbia Enhanced Permanent Dialogue meeting, which was also attended by head of the Western Balkans Directorate at the EU Enlargement Directorate General Pierre Mirel.

Đelić added that Serbia was aware that the arrest of Hague indictee Ratko Mladić was an important moment for the country's European integration, but that it was not enough to ensure candidate status and the start of accession talks.

He stressed that Serbia would continue to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and conduct reforms.

Talking about laws which need to be passed, Đelić said that a restitution bill was ready, consultations with parties were ongoing and a public debate would be held over the summer, so that the bill could go before the parliament in the fall.

Serbia has passed a law on the election of MPs, and will soon pass a political party funding bill, which is currently under debate in the parliament, which leaves only a public property bill, Đelić reminded.