"EU conditions not pressure, Serbia needs them"

Fund for Political Excellence President Sonja Liht says the conditions set by the EU for Serbia to join the organization "do not represent pressure". These conditions are "a necessity to bring the situation in Serbia in order", Liht, who is also president of the Foreign Policy Council of the Serbian Foreign Ministry, told B92 on Monday. "EU conditions not pressure, Serbia needs them" "That whole story about conditions is something that is being imposed on us, but it is not true. Do we need stricter traffic safety laws, do we need better regulation in environment protection? Yes, we do, and that is a condition, but is is also a necessity for reforms," she was quoted as saying. She said it was good that Serbia was expected to offer more than some other countries that had been admitted to the Union. The EU wanted Serbia to meet certain standards in order to become a better-ordered society, both in the field of judiciary and in any other field, she continued. "A question is being raised whether the demands to have a more responsible, more independent and more just judiciary that have been put before us are doing us good or bad," said Liht. She added that the condition for getting a date for the start of EU accession talks was already known to everyone - the continuation of the dialog with Pristina in the field of energy, telecommunications and normal operation of EULEX and KFOR in the entire Kosovo. Liht said she "did not know" whether elections would be called in Kosovo as well, adding that "this will certainly be discussed further". "I think we should read (UNSC) Resolution 1244 again. I think that resolution has been read as anybody wanted lately," she said, and added that regardless of whether the elections are held in Kosovo, the Kosovo dialogue would continue. "The referendum in northern Kosovo created no problems and I don't see why elections, whether or not they take place, would create problems," Liht stated. Commenting on the possibility that presidential elections could be held at the same time as parliamentary and local election, she described it as "an understandable option", adding that "Serbia's future steps in European integration call for spending as little time as possible in election campaigns". It should be left to lawyers to interpret laws, including those referring to elections, Liht noted. "As elections are an absolutely essential institution of any democratic order, the precedent of calling all elections at the same time and ways of doing that should be seriously considered," she added. Sonja Liht (file) B92 Tanjug

"EU conditions not pressure, Serbia needs them"

"That whole story about conditions is something that is being imposed on us, but it is not true. Do we need stricter traffic safety laws, do we need better regulation in environment protection? Yes, we do, and that is a condition, but is is also a necessity for reforms," she was quoted as saying.

She said it was good that Serbia was expected to offer more than some other countries that had been admitted to the Union.

The EU wanted Serbia to meet certain standards in order to become a better-ordered society, both in the field of judiciary and in any other field, she continued.

"A question is being raised whether the demands to have a more responsible, more independent and more just judiciary that have been put before us are doing us good or bad," said Liht.

She added that the condition for getting a date for the start of EU accession talks was already known to everyone - the continuation of the dialog with Priština in the field of energy, telecommunications and normal operation of EULEX and KFOR in the entire Kosovo.

Liht said she "did not know" whether elections would be called in Kosovo as well, adding that "this will certainly be discussed further".

"I think we should read (UNSC) Resolution 1244 again. I think that resolution has been read as anybody wanted lately," she said, and added that regardless of whether the elections are held in Kosovo, the Kosovo dialogue would continue.

"The referendum in northern Kosovo created no problems and I don't see why elections, whether or not they take place, would create problems," Liht stated.

Commenting on the possibility that presidential elections could be held at the same time as parliamentary and local election, she described it as "an understandable option", adding that "Serbia's future steps in European integration call for spending as little time as possible in election campaigns".

It should be left to lawyers to interpret laws, including those referring to elections, Liht noted.

"As elections are an absolutely essential institution of any democratic order, the precedent of calling all elections at the same time and ways of doing that should be seriously considered," she added.