"Serbia will live up to remaining challenges"

Government EU Integration Office Director Milica Delevic believes Serbia would manage to live up to the remaining challenges and earn a positive EC opinion. The European Commission (EC) is to give its opinion regarding Serbia's EU candidacy status application. "Serbia will live up to remaining challenges" "This does not imply that I believe Serbia would be a completely regulated country on October 12, when the opinion is due to be issued,” Delevic said during the Serbian parliament's roundtable discussion on mechanisms for crisis management in the EU. She added that the EC opinion would depend on the activities Serbia has completed and the manner in which they were carried out, as well as the EC's impression about it and the pace Serbia is expected to achieve in the implementation of reforms after the opinion is released. According to Delevic, the crisis in the eurozone does not jeopardize EU's existence but it does constitute a change compared to the year of 2000 or 2004, when the EU had much more time and was able to focus on the enlargement process under different circumstances. “I believe that the EU would emerge somewhat changed from this experience, as is always the case with any other event that represents a challenge to the European integration, and that Serbia and the entire region would access the EU,” Delevic said. She assessed that the fact that Croatia's accession talks with the EU are nearing their end a positive thing for the region. Milica Delevic (Beta, file)

"Serbia will live up to remaining challenges"

"This does not imply that I believe Serbia would be a completely regulated country on October 12, when the opinion is due to be issued,” Delević said during the Serbian parliament's roundtable discussion on mechanisms for crisis management in the EU.

She added that the EC opinion would depend on the activities Serbia has completed and the manner in which they were carried out, as well as the EC's impression about it and the pace Serbia is expected to achieve in the implementation of reforms after the opinion is released.

According to Delević, the crisis in the eurozone does not jeopardize EU's existence but it does constitute a change compared to the year of 2000 or 2004, when the EU had much more time and was able to focus on the enlargement process under different circumstances.

“I believe that the EU would emerge somewhat changed from this experience, as is always the case with any other event that represents a challenge to the European integration, and that Serbia and the entire region would access the EU,” Delević said.

She assessed that the fact that Croatia's accession talks with the EU are nearing their end a positive thing for the region.