EC to gauge Serbian Road Map progress

A European mission has begun evaluating Serbia’s progress on the Road Map to visa abolishment. The EU is appealing to the Serbian parliament to adopt the required laws. EC to gauge Serbian Road Map progress In the next six weeks, three missions will visit Belgrade to check the implementation of the Road Map, which Serbia was given in April last year. The European Commission (EC) will present a report in the spring, after which a decision will be made about scrapping visas for Serbian citizens. Three expert missions from Brussels will be evaluating Serbia’s implementation of the Road Map on the ground until the end of April. The focus of the mission currently in Serbia include issues concerning justice, combating corruption, money laundering and data protection. In the next few weeks two more missions will visit Belgrade, focusing on issues of passport security, migration, asylum and border protection. Based on the missions’ information, the EC will present a technical report on Serbia’s progress before making a decision on whether or not to abolish visas. “We don’t want to make any forecasts until April or May. We want to gather as much information as possible in order to give a fair and objective evaluation. The political decision and the beginning of visa liberalization will be based on our evaluation, which, we hope, will not take too long,” said EC official Luigi Soreca. Commission members say Serbia has already fulfilled many of the points on the Road Map, but, nevertheless, work remains to be done. “There have always been ups and downs with Serbia. In some moments, Serbia advances very quickly, and sometimes very slowly. We are appealing to parliament to do everything possible to adopt the required laws,” said Head of the Serbian EU Expansion Unit Therese Sobieski. “We’ve seen it in the past—in autumn, a packet of laws was adopted, so we hope that parliament will manage to do its part of the job and that the measures that have to be undertaken will be undertaken as soon as possible. We evaluate everything, this isn’t a job for one institution or one man, lower institutions also have to work in order to fulfill the map,” she explained. In the next few days, officials from Brussels will meet with Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, Justice Minister Snezana Malovic and Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic.

EC to gauge Serbian Road Map progress

In the next six weeks, three missions will visit Belgrade to check the implementation of the Road Map, which Serbia was given in April last year. The European Commission (EC) will present a report in the spring, after which a decision will be made about scrapping visas for Serbian citizens.

Three expert missions from Brussels will be evaluating Serbia’s implementation of the Road Map on the ground until the end of April.

The focus of the mission currently in Serbia include issues concerning justice, combating corruption, money laundering and data protection.

In the next few weeks two more missions will visit Belgrade, focusing on issues of passport security, migration, asylum and border protection.

Based on the missions’ information, the EC will present a technical report on Serbia’s progress before making a decision on whether or not to abolish visas.

“We don’t want to make any forecasts until April or May. We want to gather as much information as possible in order to give a fair and objective evaluation. The political decision and the beginning of visa liberalization will be based on our evaluation, which, we hope, will not take too long,” said EC official Luigi Soreca.

Commission members say Serbia has already fulfilled many of the points on the Road Map, but, nevertheless, work remains to be done.

“There have always been ups and downs with Serbia. In some moments, Serbia advances very quickly, and sometimes very slowly. We are appealing to parliament to do everything possible to adopt the required laws,” said Head of the Serbian EU Expansion Unit Therese Sobieski.

“We’ve seen it in the past—in autumn, a packet of laws was adopted, so we hope that parliament will manage to do its part of the job and that the measures that have to be undertaken will be undertaken as soon as possible. We evaluate everything, this isn’t a job for one institution or one man, lower institutions also have to work in order to fulfill the map,” she explained.

In the next few days, officials from Brussels will meet with Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, Justice Minister Snežana Malović and Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Božidar Đelić.