EU commissioner visits Belgrade

EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele is in Belgrade for talks with Serbian officials about Serbia’s further EU integrations and concrete steps. Fuele was expected to give a message of encouragement to Serbia to commit to key challenges of the European reform agenda, including justice, combat against corruption and cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. EU commissioner visits Belgrade He met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, President Boris Tadic, Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac and he will also meet with Justice Minister Snezana Malovic. After his meeting with Tadic the EU enlargement commissioner stated that it was time for the EU to take Serbia’s membership bid seriously. He also said that he hoped that the decision to forward Serbia’s request to the European Commission (EC) would be made soon. However, Fuele added that there would be no shortcuts on Serbia’s road toward the EU and that the process would go according to merit. The Serbian president stressed that Serbia wanted negotiations about its membership in the EU to begin as soon as possible but that it did not want to make artificial progress in the EU integration process, because the EU membership should formalize a substantial improvement in the lives of the citizens. Fuele said after his meeting with Dacic that the EU was aware that Serbia had made significant effort in order to reach European standards and that the decision on visa liberalization was a conformation of the achieved progress in which the Interior Ministry had played a leading role. The enlargement commissioner emphasized that continuation and deepening of regional cooperation as well as combat against corruption and organized crime were especially important in the future period. The defense minister informed him about defense system reforms that had been implemented and about the plans to include the Serbian Army (VS) into joint security and defense policy of the EU. Sutanovac has also informed the enlargement commissioner about the general course of reforms in Serbia. Fuele has praised the level of development achieved so far, which he said was in accordance with European standards, as one of extremely important segments of Serbia's EU integration process. The EU commissioner, who met in Brussels with Serbian Deputy PM Bozidar Djelic, said on Thursday he believed that the first step in the new phase of relations between the EU and Serbia would be a decision of EU member states to tell the EC to start considering Serbia's candidate for membership. He added that if it starts by the end of the year the process of evaluating Serbia could be ended during 2011, when the commission's opinion would be sent back to member states who would then decide whether the time was right to start long-term and all encompassing negotiation with Serbia about entering the union. Bozidar Djelic said that Serbia expect the candidature to be on the agenda by the end of October and that Belgrade will be ready for the questionnaire from Brussels. "He told me that of course this decision belongs to member states but that the commission under his leadership will be ready to immediately upon receiving the green light, very quickly, several days, two-three weeks at most, forward the questionnaire to Serbia, so we don't lose a single day, so that our goal to be a candidate next year can be realized," said Djelic. Stefan Fuele will meet with representatives of NGOs during the evening as well as with Ombudsman Sasa Jankovic. He will discuss continued EU integrations with President Tadic and Premier Cvetkovic, ministers Dacic, Jeremic, Sutanovac and Snezana Malovic, and the director of the office for association, Milica Djilas. Fuele meets with Dacic (Tanjug)

EU commissioner visits Belgrade

He met with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, President Boris Tadić, Interior Minister Ivica Dačić, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić, Defense Minister Dragan Šutanovac and he will also meet with Justice Minister Snežana Malović.

After his meeting with Tadić the EU enlargement commissioner stated that it was time for the EU to take Serbia’s membership bid seriously.

He also said that he hoped that the decision to forward Serbia’s request to the European Commission (EC) would be made soon.

However, Fuele added that there would be no shortcuts on Serbia’s road toward the EU and that the process would go according to merit.

The Serbian president stressed that Serbia wanted negotiations about its membership in the EU to begin as soon as possible but that it did not want to make artificial progress in the EU integration process, because the EU membership should formalize a substantial improvement in the lives of the citizens.

Fuele said after his meeting with Dačić that the EU was aware that Serbia had made significant effort in order to reach European standards and that the decision on visa liberalization was a conformation of the achieved progress in which the Interior Ministry had played a leading role.

The enlargement commissioner emphasized that continuation and deepening of regional cooperation as well as combat against corruption and organized crime were especially important in the future period.

The defense minister informed him about defense system reforms that had been implemented and about the plans to include the Serbian Army (VS) into joint security and defense policy of the EU.

Šutanovac has also informed the enlargement commissioner about the general course of reforms in Serbia.

Fuele has praised the level of development achieved so far, which he said was in accordance with European standards, as one of extremely important segments of Serbia's EU integration process.

The EU commissioner, who met in Brussels with Serbian Deputy PM Božidar Đelić, said on Thursday he believed that the first step in the new phase of relations between the EU and Serbia would be a decision of EU member states to tell the EC to start considering Serbia's candidate for membership.

He added that if it starts by the end of the year the process of evaluating Serbia could be ended during 2011, when the commission's opinion would be sent back to member states who would then decide whether the time was right to start long-term and all encompassing negotiation with Serbia about entering the union.

Božidar Đelić said that Serbia expect the candidature to be on the agenda by the end of October and that Belgrade will be ready for the questionnaire from Brussels.

"He told me that of course this decision belongs to member states but that the commission under his leadership will be ready to immediately upon receiving the green light, very quickly, several days, two-three weeks at most, forward the questionnaire to Serbia, so we don't lose a single day, so that our goal to be a candidate next year can be realized," said Đelić.

Stefan Fuele will meet with representatives of NGOs during the evening as well as with Ombudsman Saša Janković.

He will discuss continued EU integrations with President Tadić and Premier Cvetković, ministers Dačić, Jeremić, Šutanovac and Snežana Malović, and the director of the office for association, Milica Đilas.