Fuele: Serbia to answer EC questionnaire in detail

Serbia has capacity to precisely and in detail answer the EC questionnaire, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele has assessed. He told Belgrade-based daily Vecernje novosti that the questionnaire, which should be sent to Serbia in late November, would cover the entire EU policy. Fuele: Serbia to answer EC questionnaire in detail Fuele said that the EC would like to submit its unbiased analysis on Serbia’s readiness to begin accession negotiations in the second half of 2011. “The questionnaire will be very similar to the one which was sent to Montenegrin and Albanian authorities as a part of preparations for EC opinion for these two countries. Some questions will be specific for Serbia and its reality,” the EU enlargement commissioner explained. “Questions refer to all domains which are covered by the Copenhagen criteria – political and economic criteria and capacity to assume obligations of the EU accession and conditions from the stabilization and association process,” he was quoted as saying. According to Fuele, goal of the questionnaire is to gather information on the level of Serbia’s preparedness to begin accession negotiations with the EU. He pointed out that the EU Council of Ministers’ decision to request the EC to prepare its opinion on Serbia’s candidacy bid represented an important phase in relations between the EU and Serbia. Stefan Fuele (Beta, file) Hague cooperation – key condition for EU When asked if Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal could disrupt the deadlines, bearing in mind that the EC opinion is a technical and not a political issue, Fuele said that the EC Council of Ministers had pointed out at the meeting on October 25 that both Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and Interim Trade Agreement had demanded Serbia’s full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. “In accordance with political criteria from Copenhagen this full and comprehensive cooperation is an essential condition for EU membership,” the EU enlargement commissioner stated. “The Council of Ministers has also repeated that new measures will be made on every level of Serbia’s EU admission process when the Council unanimously agrees that there is full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal,” he told the daily. “In this context it is of essential importance for Serbia to do everything in order to manage to locate and arrest two remaining fugitives wanted by the Hague Tribunal – Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic,” Fuele concluded.

Fuele: Serbia to answer EC questionnaire in detail

Fuele said that the EC would like to submit its unbiased analysis on Serbia’s readiness to begin accession negotiations in the second half of 2011.

“The questionnaire will be very similar to the one which was sent to Montenegrin and Albanian authorities as a part of preparations for EC opinion for these two countries. Some questions will be specific for Serbia and its reality,” the EU enlargement commissioner explained.

“Questions refer to all domains which are covered by the Copenhagen criteria – political and economic criteria and capacity to assume obligations of the EU accession and conditions from the stabilization and association process,” he was quoted as saying.

According to Fuele, goal of the questionnaire is to gather information on the level of Serbia’s preparedness to begin accession negotiations with the EU.

He pointed out that the EU Council of Ministers’ decision to request the EC to prepare its opinion on Serbia’s candidacy bid represented an important phase in relations between the EU and Serbia.

Hague cooperation – key condition for EU

When asked if Serbia’s cooperation with the Hague Tribunal could disrupt the deadlines, bearing in mind that the EC opinion is a technical and not a political issue, Fuele said that the EC Council of Ministers had pointed out at the meeting on October 25 that both Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and Interim Trade Agreement had demanded Serbia’s full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

“In accordance with political criteria from Copenhagen this full and comprehensive cooperation is an essential condition for EU membership,” the EU enlargement commissioner stated.

“The Council of Ministers has also repeated that new measures will be made on every level of Serbia’s EU admission process when the Council unanimously agrees that there is full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal,” he told the daily.

“In this context it is of essential importance for Serbia to do everything in order to manage to locate and arrest two remaining fugitives wanted by the Hague Tribunal – Ratko Mladić and Goran Hadžić,” Fuele concluded.