IM: Police in EU peacekeeping missions

First Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic is in Brussels, where he will present Serbia’s progress towards joining the white Schengen list. During Sunday's conversations with Director-General of the EU Council General Secretariat Robert Cooper, Dacic discussed the possibilities for Serbian police participation in EU peacekeeping missions. IM: Police in EU peacekeeping missions The minister said that that issue is of great importance for strengthening the position of Serbian police. Today he expects to speak with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, and European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrott, who is in charge of legislature and internal affairs. The main theme of the Brussels meetings is visa liberalization, since, as Dacic told B92 before his journey, his department is the most important in that process. “Serbia is due to ratify several Council of Europe (CoE) conventions over the next few months in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, to adopt several strategies, of which the most important are the Strategy for the Fight against Organized Crime – which we are working on with OSCE – and the Strategy for the Fight against Drugs, which the Health Ministry is working on with us, as well as to adopt some action plans, and, of course, to accomplish more and more regarding our document security and issuing new passports,” said Dacic. Rehn is expected to visit Serbia on Feb. 12, and the first deputy prime minister expects Serbia to fulfill all requirements by spring, bringing a positive response from the European Commission (EC) in the second half of the year. “The central theme of my discussions is our path toward visa liberalization, to inform them of what we have accomplished, what we have done and will do in the next few months. Serbia will fulfill all the assignments in the next few months related to visa liberalization, which we were given on the road map to the EU,” said Dacic. “That means, above all, that we then expect a positive response from Brussels, bearing in mind that there will be European Parliament (EP) elections, which means in the second half of the year we expect to receive a positive response from Brussels regarding visa liberalization,” he added. Council of Europe Parliamentary Committee (PACE) rapporteurs for Serbia will visit Belgrade on Feb. 9 and 10 to inspect the Serbian state’s fulfillment of and respect for CoE obligations and complete a report which the CoE Parliamentary Assembly will debate next spring. Rapporteurs are due to meet with high-ranking Serbian officials, political party representatives, non-governmental organizations and the diplomatic corps. Ivica Dacic (Tanjug, archive)

IM: Police in EU peacekeeping missions

The minister said that that issue is of great importance for strengthening the position of Serbian police.

Today he expects to speak with EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, and European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrott, who is in charge of legislature and internal affairs.

The main theme of the Brussels meetings is visa liberalization, since, as Dačić told B92 before his journey, his department is the most important in that process.

“Serbia is due to ratify several Council of Europe (CoE) conventions over the next few months in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, to adopt several strategies, of which the most important are the Strategy for the Fight against Organized Crime – which we are working on with OSCE – and the Strategy for the Fight against Drugs, which the Health Ministry is working on with us, as well as to adopt some action plans, and, of course, to accomplish more and more regarding our document security and issuing new passports,” said Dačić.

Rehn is expected to visit Serbia on Feb. 12, and the first deputy prime minister expects Serbia to fulfill all requirements by spring, bringing a positive response from the European Commission (EC) in the second half of the year.

“The central theme of my discussions is our path toward visa liberalization, to inform them of what we have accomplished, what we have done and will do in the next few months. Serbia will fulfill all the assignments in the next few months related to visa liberalization, which we were given on the road map to the EU,” said Dačić.

“That means, above all, that we then expect a positive response from Brussels, bearing in mind that there will be European Parliament (EP) elections, which means in the second half of the year we expect to receive a positive response from Brussels regarding visa liberalization,” he added.

Council of Europe Parliamentary Committee (PACE) rapporteurs for Serbia will visit Belgrade on Feb. 9 and 10 to inspect the Serbian state’s fulfillment of and respect for CoE obligations and complete a report which the CoE Parliamentary Assembly will debate next spring.

Rapporteurs are due to meet with high-ranking Serbian officials, political party representatives, non-governmental organizations and the diplomatic corps.