EC: No new conditions

The European Commission’s report on Serbia’s EU integration progress was officially published yesterday. The head of the European Commission’s (EC) delegation to Belgrade, Josep Lloveras, said that there would be no new conditions attached to further Serbian EU integration. EC: No new conditions European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Serbia could receive EU candidate status in 2009, according to the best-case scenario. The EC’s report commends the stability of the new government, the consensus reached over EU integration, and the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA). The Commission also states that Serbia has good administrative capacities for implementing the SAA, but more needs to be done to adopt the necessary laws. The report states that the government has done little to tackle corruption and organized crime or implement legislative reforms. The EC commends Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, but the EU Council of Ministers will give a more detailed report on the matter once Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz submits his report in mid-December. “This report paints an objective picture, it is like an independent revisory report, and there the pluses and minuses are totted up in the report. They show that real progress was made, but not as much as could have been, given Serbia’s potential,” Lloveras told B92. Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, who is visiting current EU-presiding country France, said that the EC’s report offered enough positive grounds for Serbia to receive candidate status next year. He added that all the conditions must be completed in order for this to happen, including cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, tackling crime and corruption, and conducting judicial reforms. “It is good that parliament has been unblocked, because a set of judicial laws are due to come up for adoption,” Djelic said. The EC report encourages Serbia to take a constructive stance towards the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo, and on including Kosovo within the regional initiative. Lloveras said that there were no added conditions for Serbia’s integration, however, especially not in relation to Kosovo. “There are no added conditions. They have been clear from the beginning, there are no new ones regarding Kosovo. You mentioned EULEX, it is important to the EU, but to Kosovo as well, and the whole region must be stable, economic and social development must move on, and the rule of law and security must be facilitated,” he said. Lloveras said that the EC was due to give its answer to Serbia’s report on fulfilling conditions for liberalization of the visa regime by mid-November, adding that Serbia could make the Schengen white list next year. He said that Serbia had passed a series of laws in that field, but that their immediate implementation was necessary for the visa regime to be scrapped. Josep Lloveras (FoNet archive)

EC: No new conditions

European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Serbia could receive EU candidate status in 2009, according to the best-case scenario.

The EC’s report commends the stability of the new government, the consensus reached over EU integration, and the ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA).

The Commission also states that Serbia has good administrative capacities for implementing the SAA, but more needs to be done to adopt the necessary laws.

The report states that the government has done little to tackle corruption and organized crime or implement legislative reforms.

The EC commends Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, but the EU Council of Ministers will give a more detailed report on the matter once Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz submits his report in mid-December.

“This report paints an objective picture, it is like an independent revisory report, and there the pluses and minuses are totted up in the report. They show that real progress was made, but not as much as could have been, given Serbia’s potential,” Lloveras told B92.

Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić, who is visiting current EU-presiding country France, said that the EC’s report offered enough positive grounds for Serbia to receive candidate status next year.

He added that all the conditions must be completed in order for this to happen, including cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, tackling crime and corruption, and conducting judicial reforms.

“It is good that parliament has been unblocked, because a set of judicial laws are due to come up for adoption,” Đelić said.

The EC report encourages Serbia to take a constructive stance towards the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo, and on including Kosovo within the regional initiative.

Lloveras said that there were no added conditions for Serbia’s integration, however, especially not in relation to Kosovo.

“There are no added conditions. They have been clear from the beginning, there are no new ones regarding Kosovo. You mentioned EULEX, it is important to the EU, but to Kosovo as well, and the whole region must be stable, economic and social development must move on, and the rule of law and security must be facilitated,” he said.

Lloveras said that the EC was due to give its answer to Serbia’s report on fulfilling conditions for liberalization of the visa regime by mid-November, adding that Serbia could make the Schengen white list next year.

He said that Serbia had passed a series of laws in that field, but that their immediate implementation was necessary for the visa regime to be scrapped.