"Serbia belongs in EU," says former EC chief

"Serbia belongs in EU," says former EC chief

Barroso said that he is very proud to have headed the Commission at the time the proposal to open the accession talks with Serbia was tabled, adding that the process has begun and that it is going well.

"I know that Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has a strong mandate from his people, and I hope that true progress will be achieved on Serbia's path towards the EU - I believe that Serbia should be in the EU," Barroso said in an interview with Tanjug.

Barroso said that he believes that Serbia and the EU will establish much closer ties, but refused to speculate on the timeframe for the country's accession to full membership in the EU.

Progress must now be made in the negotiations and in economic, rule-of-law and state administration reforms in your country, he said.

Asked to comment on the reform efforts, Barroso echoed a position voiced by the European Commission during his tenure as its president.

We acknowledge the progress achieved in several areas - the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, administration reform and regional cooperation, especially with regards to the relations with Pristina, and that is good for Serbia and the region, he said.

However, there are areas where the efforts must continue with great resolve, such as freedom of the press, respect of all principles of the rule of law, as well as some elements of economic reforms, he said.

"We have made a positive assessment while encouraging the Serbian authorities to continue the reforms resolutely, and we are confident that the reforms, with or without the EU, will be the interest of the Serbian citizens," Barroso noted.

Serbia, which is set to assume OSCE chairmanship on January 1 next year, can use its traditionally good ties with Russia to help improve the current political and diplomatic atmosphere, which is not good, Barroso said.

Serbia has traditionally good relations with Russia, and that, from my point of view, is no problem, Barroso said, noting that he is stating his personal opinion.

"Personally, I expect Serbia to use the traditionally good ties and try to convince the Russian leadership how important it is not to revert to the Cold War logic and aggressive rhetoric, as well as for everyone on our continent to be constructive," Barroso said.

Asked about his expectations for the EU over the next five years, Barroso said that, now that the battle for stability has been won, economic growth must be ensured.

The former EC president was in Belgrade on Friday for an international conference dedicated to the EU and the Western Balkans.

While in the Serbian capital, he also met with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.