"Rompuy, Ashton appointments not bad news"

European Movement's Tanja Miscevic said she was surprised by the election of Herman Van Rompuy ad Catherine Ashton, but that this is "not bad news for Serbia". “Now we have a very good chance to speak to the people who don’t know us. According to my information neither the former Belgian Prime Minister Van Rompuy nor Ashton, who was in charge of foreign trade in Great Britain, have had much contact with us,” she said. "Rompuy, Ashton appointments not bad news" Miscevic added that Serbia now has a possibility to present itself in a new light based on information and current progress, meaning that it would "not have to explain again the policies from the 1990s". “Their first statements were that they were not against the enlargement of the EU. Of course, they spoke about the admission of Turkey separately because it was one of the important issues. But that somehow gives us guarantees that the Balkans will have a European perspective in the future,” Miscevic pointed out. She added that election of Van Rompuy and Ashton was a result of compromise, stressed that the EU was "built on compromises", and that it would "not be unusual to resort to them again". Speaking about the new president of the EU, she pointed out that he was a politician with a personal credibility who had managed to create internal stability in Belgium after a string of difficult years and several months without a government. “The most important thing is that he is a person with his own personal credibility. He does not have the power to slam his fist against the table, but he is the one who will make a difference. The EU president must understand interests of 27 countries and be able to take what is most important from everybody, and than create a compromise based on that. It is obvious that they did not think that Tony Blair was such person, but that Van Rompuy is,” said the vice president of the European Movement in Serbia, and former head of the government EU integration office. She commented on Ashton’s election as the EU new Foreign Policy chief and said she was glad that a woman had been chosen to one of the two key positions. “EU could not show off having significant positions and roles held by women up until now, so this time it is something they should keep insisting on. Not because it regards gender, but because of the different activities and the way women do their work, and because one of the European values is that there be no discrimination,” Miscevic said.

"Rompuy, Ashton appointments not bad news"

Miščević added that Serbia now has a possibility to present itself in a new light based on information and current progress, meaning that it would "not have to explain again the policies from the 1990s".

“Their first statements were that they were not against the enlargement of the EU. Of course, they spoke about the admission of Turkey separately because it was one of the important issues. But that somehow gives us guarantees that the Balkans will have a European perspective in the future,” Miščević pointed out.

She added that election of Van Rompuy and Ashton was a result of compromise, stressed that the EU was "built on compromises", and that it would "not be unusual to resort to them again".

Speaking about the new president of the EU, she pointed out that he was a politician with a personal credibility who had managed to create internal stability in Belgium after a string of difficult years and several months without a government.

“The most important thing is that he is a person with his own personal credibility. He does not have the power to slam his fist against the table, but he is the one who will make a difference. The EU president must understand interests of 27 countries and be able to take what is most important from everybody, and than create a compromise based on that. It is obvious that they did not think that Tony Blair was such person, but that Van Rompuy is,” said the vice president of the European Movement in Serbia, and former head of the government EU integration office.

She commented on Ashton’s election as the EU new Foreign Policy chief and said she was glad that a woman had been chosen to one of the two key positions.

“EU could not show off having significant positions and roles held by women up until now, so this time it is something they should keep insisting on. Not because it regards gender, but because of the different activities and the way women do their work, and because one of the European values is that there be no discrimination,” Miščević said.