EU expected to give green light for candidacy bid

Serbian FM Vuk Jeremic expects the EU Council of Ministers to forward Serbia’s candidacy bid to European Commission (EC). He said that we should wait until Monday when the decision would be formally approved by consensus and when “all foreign ministers of EU member states will stand behind it”. EU expected to give green light for candidacy bid “I think that we have a reason to be optimistic,” said the FM who spoke to EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele on the margins of the Visegrad Group meeting in Bratislava. Jeremic pointed out that the Visegrad Group, which includes Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, was strongly supporting European perspective of the Western Balkans. The Western Balkans is one of priorities of the Visegrad Group, which is of great both political and practical importance because Hungary and Poland will preside over the EU next year, he explained. “Dutch won’t block Serbia” Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Cedomir Jovanovic has stated that the Netherlands will not block Serbia’s EU application and that the EU Council of Ministers will enable Serbia’s further European integration at the meeting next Monday. After speaking to representatives of People's Party for Democracy (VVD), the largest party in new Dutch government, the LDP leader said that the Netherlands would not block Serbian EU candidacy bid and that the decision of the EU Council of Ministers would be positive. He explained that the highest VVD officials had supported forwarding Serbia’s EU candidacy application. “We have received clear assurance that the Netherlands wants faster EU integration of Serbia and that it is therefore ready to take a big step toward unblocking of the process. That’s a position that should be highly appreciated, because it is an enormous concession,” Jovanovic stressed. He pointed out that arrest and extradition of the remaining war criminals should be an absolute priority of the authorities in Belgrade and that this had been clearly emphasized during the talks with the Dutch representatives. “After this, completion of cooperation with The Hague will be a formal condition for each further step toward the EU. There is no doubt that we must urgently arrest and extradite the indictees, for our own sake,” the LDP leader concluded.

EU expected to give green light for candidacy bid

“I think that we have a reason to be optimistic,” said the FM who spoke to EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele on the margins of the Višegrad Group meeting in Bratislava.

Jeremić pointed out that the Višegrad Group, which includes Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, was strongly supporting European perspective of the Western Balkans.

The Western Balkans is one of priorities of the Višegrad Group, which is of great both political and practical importance because Hungary and Poland will preside over the EU next year, he explained.

“Dutch won’t block Serbia”

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović has stated that the Netherlands will not block Serbia’s EU application and that the EU Council of Ministers will enable Serbia’s further European integration at the meeting next Monday.

After speaking to representatives of People's Party for Democracy (VVD), the largest party in new Dutch government, the LDP leader said that the Netherlands would not block Serbian EU candidacy bid and that the decision of the EU Council of Ministers would be positive.

He explained that the highest VVD officials had supported forwarding Serbia’s EU candidacy application.

“We have received clear assurance that the Netherlands wants faster EU integration of Serbia and that it is therefore ready to take a big step toward unblocking of the process. That’s a position that should be highly appreciated, because it is an enormous concession,” Jovanović stressed.

He pointed out that arrest and extradition of the remaining war criminals should be an absolute priority of the authorities in Belgrade and that this had been clearly emphasized during the talks with the Dutch representatives.

“After this, completion of cooperation with The Hague will be a formal condition for each further step toward the EU. There is no doubt that we must urgently arrest and extradite the indictees, for our own sake,” the LDP leader concluded.