Deputy PM claims Kosovo recognition not condition for EU

Serbia’s Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic has stated that German delegation members did not request Serbia to recognize Kosovo’s independence in order to join the EU. Commenting on German MPs’ statements, he said that the “only person authorized to express Germany’s position is its ambassador”. Deputy PM claims Kosovo recognition not condition for EU Djelic stressed that it was evident that interest in our goal, getting the EU candidate status and the beginning of negotiations, suddenly increased after Ratko Mladic’s arrest. “This process is not a math algorithm but there are three large components for a positive decision. The first one is cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in which a huge improvement has been made, but the cooperation needs to be completed. The second one is Action plan fulfillment. And the third one is a concrete result in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina,” the deputy prime minister stressed. According to him, Serbia is making good progress in all three fields but there is still a lot of work ahead of us. “Our approach is not to think about percentages but to knock arguments out of hands of those who would like to prevent Serbian citizens’ progress on their European path. That is why I recently said in the European Parliament that we expected the EU to be strict but not unfair in its conditions,” he explained. When asked whether there were any indications from Brussels that this could actually happen, Djelic said that “there are no announcements, but there is a risk”. “The root of that risk is economic crisis which has strengthened anti-European parties in some countries,” he underscored. The deputy PM also said that he could not detect such indication in German MPs’ statements. “Germany’s position, in which there is an agreement between the left and the right, is that Serbia belongs in the EU. Germany is the biggest individual donor in our country with EUR 1bn in the last decade. And it is very good that we had so many German MPs visit us, who are preparing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s expected visit in August,” he said. “It’s visible that Germany wants to have elements, not to prevent the beginning of negotiations for Serbia’s EU accession but in order to see whether it has enough elements to support that,” Djelic added. When asked to comment on his statement that he would resign if Serbia did not get the EU candidate status in December, the deputy PM said that “this is still his position”. “I am in the government in order to achieve results for Serbia. I would like to remind you that I said that before Mladic was arrested. It was less likely then that we would get the candidate status that it is now,” Djelic concluded. Bozidar Djelic (FoNet)

Deputy PM claims Kosovo recognition not condition for EU

Đelić stressed that it was evident that interest in our goal, getting the EU candidate status and the beginning of negotiations, suddenly increased after Ratko Mladić’s arrest.

“This process is not a math algorithm but there are three large components for a positive decision. The first one is cooperation with the Hague Tribunal in which a huge improvement has been made, but the cooperation needs to be completed. The second one is Action plan fulfillment. And the third one is a concrete result in the dialogue between Belgrade and Priština,” the deputy prime minister stressed.

According to him, Serbia is making good progress in all three fields but there is still a lot of work ahead of us.

“Our approach is not to think about percentages but to knock arguments out of hands of those who would like to prevent Serbian citizens’ progress on their European path. That is why I recently said in the European Parliament that we expected the EU to be strict but not unfair in its conditions,” he explained.

When asked whether there were any indications from Brussels that this could actually happen, Đelić said that “there are no announcements, but there is a risk”.

“The root of that risk is economic crisis which has strengthened anti-European parties in some countries,” he underscored.

The deputy PM also said that he could not detect such indication in German MPs’ statements.

“Germany’s position, in which there is an agreement between the left and the right, is that Serbia belongs in the EU. Germany is the biggest individual donor in our country with EUR 1bn in the last decade. And it is very good that we had so many German MPs visit us, who are preparing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s expected visit in August,” he said.

“It’s visible that Germany wants to have elements, not to prevent the beginning of negotiations for Serbia’s EU accession but in order to see whether it has enough elements to support that,” Đelić added.

When asked to comment on his statement that he would resign if Serbia did not get the EU candidate status in December, the deputy PM said that “this is still his position”.

“I am in the government in order to achieve results for Serbia. I would like to remind you that I said that before Mladić was arrested. It was less likely then that we would get the candidate status that it is now,” Đelić concluded.