"Progress on EU pathway depends on Serbia"
The length of Serbia's path toward full-fledged EU membership will depends on Serbia itslef, German Foreign State Secretary Wolf-Ruthart Born says.
Wednesday, 23.12.2009.
16:38
The length of Serbia's path toward full-fledged EU membership will depends on Serbia itslef, German Foreign State Secretary Wolf-Ruthart Born says. Born met on Wednesday in Berlin with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic, and participants of the "Europe for All" project, which took 50 selected Serbian citizens on a trip to the EU last week as Brussels lifted its visa restrictions. "Progress on EU pathway depends on Serbia" The visa liberalization is a good step forward, but the path that is before Serbia is not an easy one, and those who want to join the EU need to be very patient, Born said at a reception organized for the guests from Serbia. "Serbia has finished a part of that long journey, which was not easy to do but it managed, and this is why I trust that the remaining part of the road toward the EU will be successful as well," the German official was quoted as saying. On Tuesday, President Boris Tadic formally submitted Serbia's bid to become EU candidate. Born underlined that the admission of new members depended on the fulfillment of conditions, i.e. the Copenhagen criteria, and that no allowances could be made. "Once the negotiations are over, and they will take a couple of years, another two or three years will pass before the ratification," he said. "If you add up the years of negotiation and the time required for the ratification, you will get an idea about the possible date of membership approval," explained Born. "The EU allows national pride as such, but it does not at all approve of nationalism, and this is why it is important that the persons required by The Hague Tribunal be tracked down," Tanjug news agency further quoted the German official as telling his Serbian guests. Djelic for his part noted that Serbia "did not expect any privileges from Germany or any other partners", and that the application for EU membership represented a confirmation of the country's strategic orientation to become a full-fledged member of the European Union.
"Progress on EU pathway depends on Serbia"
The visa liberalization is a good step forward, but the path that is before Serbia is not an easy one, and those who want to join the EU need to be very patient, Born said at a reception organized for the guests from Serbia."Serbia has finished a part of that long journey, which was not easy to do but it managed, and this is why I trust that the remaining part of the road toward the EU will be successful as well," the German official was quoted as saying.
On Tuesday, President Boris Tadić formally submitted Serbia's bid to become EU candidate.
Born underlined that the admission of new members depended on the fulfillment of conditions, i.e. the Copenhagen criteria, and that no allowances could be made.
"Once the negotiations are over, and they will take a couple of years, another two or three years will pass before the ratification," he said.
"If you add up the years of negotiation and the time required for the ratification, you will get an idea about the possible date of membership approval," explained Born.
"The EU allows national pride as such, but it does not at all approve of nationalism, and this is why it is important that the persons required by The Hague Tribunal be tracked down," Tanjug news agency further quoted the German official as telling his Serbian guests.
Đelić for his part noted that Serbia "did not expect any privileges from Germany or any other partners", and that the application for EU membership represented a confirmation of the country's strategic orientation to become a full-fledged member of the European Union.
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