EU negotiations date possible in spring, says official

BELGRADE If we do not get a date for the beginning of the EU negotiations in December, there is a possibility that we will get the date in the spring or summer of 2013. This is according to Serbian government's EU Integration Office Director Milan Pajevic. EU negotiations date possible in spring, says official “If the decision is not made in December and if we continue the dynamic plan of meetings between Belgrade and Pristina, this can happen in the spring, or in any case by the end of the spring or in the beginning of summer,” he told EurActiv Srbija. Pajevic stressed that the decision would depend on whether results had been satisfactory in the dialogue and other conditions set by the European Council in December 2011. When asked whether Serbia would find itself at a turning point in the EU integration process if no progress was made in the dialogue with Pristina, he said that this was not about any turning point but about the continuation of the integration process that should be faster. He stressed that progress had already been made in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. The EU Integration Office director said that the Action plan for fulfillment of the European Commission’s recommendations that was being prepared covered the dialogue with Pristina “as much as the Commission mentioned in its report this year”. Pajevic said that the plan, that envisages adoption of a series of bills, should be adopted by the government in the next two weeks. He said that it had not been decided not to extend a protocol on cooperation in the EU integration process with the EU and that the decision applied to the preparation of a new protocol. Pajevic noted that Croatia had proposed that the protocol should become an agreement and added that it required a different, wider procedure that included opinion of competent institutions. “The process is taking its course and the agreement, once it is signed and it will certainly be signed before the current protocol expires, will determine forms of cooperation in the EU integration and it will probably be wider than the previous protocol,” he explained. Pajevic added that preparations for the establishment of a decentralized system of EU accession funds management were going well and explained that the system would allow the Serbian authorities to manage the funds independently. Milan Pajevic (Tanjug, file) Beta

EU negotiations date possible in spring, says official

“If the decision is not made in December and if we continue the dynamic plan of meetings between Belgrade and Priština, this can happen in the spring, or in any case by the end of the spring or in the beginning of summer,” he told EurActiv Srbija.

Pajević stressed that the decision would depend on whether results had been satisfactory in the dialogue and other conditions set by the European Council in December 2011.

When asked whether Serbia would find itself at a turning point in the EU integration process if no progress was made in the dialogue with Priština, he said that this was not about any turning point but about the continuation of the integration process that should be faster.

He stressed that progress had already been made in the Belgrade-Priština dialogue.

The EU Integration Office director said that the Action plan for fulfillment of the European Commission’s recommendations that was being prepared covered the dialogue with Priština “as much as the Commission mentioned in its report this year”.

Pajević said that the plan, that envisages adoption of a series of bills, should be adopted by the government in the next two weeks.

He said that it had not been decided not to extend a protocol on cooperation in the EU integration process with the EU and that the decision applied to the preparation of a new protocol.

Pajević noted that Croatia had proposed that the protocol should become an agreement and added that it required a different, wider procedure that included opinion of competent institutions.

“The process is taking its course and the agreement, once it is signed and it will certainly be signed before the current protocol expires, will determine forms of cooperation in the EU integration and it will probably be wider than the previous protocol,” he explained.

Pajević added that preparations for the establishment of a decentralized system of EU accession funds management were going well and explained that the system would allow the Serbian authorities to manage the funds independently.