Rehn: SAA initialing tomorrow

The EU and Serbia will tomorrow initial the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA), says Olli Rehn. The EU Enlargement Commissioner said Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte had informed him that Serbia had made sufficient progress in cooperation with the Tribunal to merit initialing of the agreement. Rehn: SAA initialing tomorrow Rehn said that Del Ponte had reported improvement, both in terms of the hunt for the fugitives, as well as in regards to access to archives and documents, allowing the SAA to be initialed, though not signed. “She told me that Belgrade had expressed the political will to arrest the remaining Hague fugitives. Therefore, on behalf and with the support of my colleagues at the Commission, I have decided to initial the SAA with Serbia tomorrow,“ he said. “Obviously, this isn’t the end of the road. Cooperation with the Hague must not stop. There’s still much to be done to achieve full cooperation, and that’s a fundamental condition for eventual signing,“ said Rehn. “This is a milestone for Serbia. After the nationalism of the nineties, a democratic dawn broke in Serbia in 2000, and now a European dawn beckons,“ explained the commissioner. In his opinion, Serbia has huge economic, cultural and political capacities waiting to be unleashed, and that job was up to the Serbian people and politicians. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic told B92 that he was traveling to Brussels tomorrow to initial the agreement. Djelic said that after the initialing, Serbia would become a candidate for EU membership within a year at the latest. EU High Representative Javier Solana also welcomed the move, as did the majority of Serbian officials. Olli Rehn (FoNet, archive) EC: Certain progress in EU integration The European Commission (EC) feels that the government has made certain progress in the process of European integration. “Since the formation of the new government, certain progress has been made towards relaunching the European integration process. However, policy coordination needs to be improved,“ says an EC report on Serbia. The report claims that as far as its international commitments are concerned, full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal has still not been achieved. “Despite earlier positive government accomplishments, Serbia has still not achieved full cooperation. Four fugitives are still at large,“ says the report. The EC adds that further efforts are required to attain European standards in the fields of the media and information. “Preparations (in these fields) are at a preliminary stage, and further efforts are needed to bring them into line with European standards. The capacities of the relevant institutions are still insufficient,“ it adds. “There is particular concern in the field of electronic media,“ it says in the report submitted to Brussels today. The EC feels that the foundations of a market economy in Serbia have been maintained since the formation of the new government, although a lack of coordination remains between certain institutions. “Consensus over the basics of a market economy has been maintained, although lack of coordination between various institutions has increased when it comes to stable fiscal policies,“ the report stresses. The EC adds that “fiscal policies were relaxed in the latter half of 2006, and the start of 2007.“ “Despite certain improvements, excessive bureaucratic demands and complicated legislature continues to hinder the market,“ the EC states, claiming that the process of privatizing state banks “has progressed nicely, and that competitive spirit between banks is based on solid foundations.“ “The banking sector has been exposed to relatively little risky activity. That sector is profitable and generally good,“ says the part of the report dealing with economic relations in Serbia.

Rehn: SAA initialing tomorrow

Rehn said that Del Ponte had reported improvement, both in terms of the hunt for the fugitives, as well as in regards to access to archives and documents, allowing the SAA to be initialed, though not signed.

“She told me that Belgrade had expressed the political will to arrest the remaining Hague fugitives. Therefore, on behalf and with the support of my colleagues at the Commission, I have decided to initial the SAA with Serbia tomorrow,“ he said.

“Obviously, this isn’t the end of the road. Cooperation with the Hague must not stop. There’s still much to be done to achieve full cooperation, and that’s a fundamental condition for eventual signing,“ said Rehn.

“This is a milestone for Serbia. After the nationalism of the nineties, a democratic dawn broke in Serbia in 2000, and now a European dawn beckons,“ explained the commissioner.

In his opinion, Serbia has huge economic, cultural and political capacities waiting to be unleashed, and that job was up to the Serbian people and politicians.

Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić told B92 that he was traveling to Brussels tomorrow to initial the agreement.

Đelić said that after the initialing, Serbia would become a candidate for EU membership within a year at the latest.

EU High Representative Javier Solana also welcomed the move, as did the majority of Serbian officials.

EC: Certain progress in EU integration

The European Commission (EC) feels that the government has made certain progress in the process of European integration.

“Since the formation of the new government, certain progress has been made towards relaunching the European integration process. However, policy coordination needs to be improved,“ says an EC report on Serbia.

The report claims that as far as its international commitments are concerned, full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal has still not been achieved.

“Despite earlier positive government accomplishments, Serbia has still not achieved full cooperation. Four fugitives are still at large,“ says the report.

The EC adds that further efforts are required to attain European standards in the fields of the media and information.

“Preparations (in these fields) are at a preliminary stage, and further efforts are needed to bring them into line with European standards. The capacities of the relevant institutions are still insufficient,“ it adds.

“There is particular concern in the field of electronic media,“ it says in the report submitted to Brussels today.

The EC feels that the foundations of a market economy in Serbia have been maintained since the formation of the new government, although a lack of coordination remains between certain institutions.

“Consensus over the basics of a market economy has been maintained, although lack of coordination between various institutions has increased when it comes to stable fiscal policies,“ the report stresses.

The EC adds that “fiscal policies were relaxed in the latter half of 2006, and the start of 2007.“

“Despite certain improvements, excessive bureaucratic demands and complicated legislature continues to hinder the market,“ the EC states, claiming that the process of privatizing state banks “has progressed nicely, and that competitive spirit between banks is based on solid foundations.“

“The banking sector has been exposed to relatively little risky activity. That sector is profitable and generally good,“ says the part of the report dealing with economic relations in Serbia.