Candidate status “only beginning of work”

Serbian government's EU Integration Office Director Milica Delevic says granting of the EU candidate status is not the end but the beginning of work for Serbia. She explained that European Commission (EC) positive opinion on normalization of relations with Pristina separated Serbia from a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks. Candidate status “only beginning of work” Delevic stressed that further improvement of relations with Pristina included progress in the talks about telecommunications, energy and support to the EULEX mission to exercise its mandate in the entire territory of Kosovo. She added that the continuation of reforms, implementation of the reached agreements, implementation of adopted laws and preparation for next steps was also important. When asked when Serbia could expect to get a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks, Delevic noted that the most important thing was for institutions and citizens to understand this was only a beginning of work. “That is why we should now think about everything that needs to be done so the negotiations could start and what it is that we need to prepare – people, negotiating teams, laws, so the negotiations would take less time,” she pointed out. When asked whether the EU could condition the beginning of the EU accession talks with the issue of Kosovo’s status and abolition of the so-called parallel institutions in Kosovo, Delevic said: “These issues should be seen the way the European Council laid them out. This means normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina and it is something that all EU member states agree on, regardless of what they think about Kosovo’s statehood and that’s that the entire region takes part in regional cooperation and European integrations,” she explained. The EU Integration Office director could not specify which issues would be the hardest to solve. “We will se that when we reach the problems that are hard to solve, because the biggest problem is always the one we have not solved,” she stressed. She noted that that the negotiations would begin with chapter 23 and 24 that include judiciary and fundamental rights. Milica Delevic (Tanjug, file) Tanjug

Candidate status “only beginning of work”

Delević stressed that further improvement of relations with Priština included progress in the talks about telecommunications, energy and support to the EULEX mission to exercise its mandate in the entire territory of Kosovo.

She added that the continuation of reforms, implementation of the reached agreements, implementation of adopted laws and preparation for next steps was also important.

When asked when Serbia could expect to get a date for the beginning of the EU accession talks, Delević noted that the most important thing was for institutions and citizens to understand this was only a beginning of work.

“That is why we should now think about everything that needs to be done so the negotiations could start and what it is that we need to prepare – people, negotiating teams, laws, so the negotiations would take less time,” she pointed out.

When asked whether the EU could condition the beginning of the EU accession talks with the issue of Kosovo’s status and abolition of the so-called parallel institutions in Kosovo, Delević said:

“These issues should be seen the way the European Council laid them out. This means normalization of relations between Belgrade and Priština and it is something that all EU member states agree on, regardless of what they think about Kosovo’s statehood and that’s that the entire region takes part in regional cooperation and European integrations,” she explained.

The EU Integration Office director could not specify which issues would be the hardest to solve.

“We will se that when we reach the problems that are hard to solve, because the biggest problem is always the one we have not solved,” she stressed.

She noted that that the negotiations would begin with chapter 23 and 24 that include judiciary and fundamental rights.