“Serbia to get EU talks date in June or at later point”

BELGRADE Head of the German parliamentary delegation Andreas Schockenhoff says the question is not whether but when Serbia will start the EU accession negotiations. According to him, Serbia will begin the EU accession talks in June or at a later point. “Serbia to get EU talks date in June or at later point” “The question is not whether accession negotiations with Belgrade will start. The only question is when it should be so it would be in the interest of a successful process,” Schockenhoff told daily Blic. He noted that Germany expected Belgrade to solve the issue of Kosovo’s UN membership before it completes the EU accession negotiations. “We do not expect a legally binding solution before that but it needs to be solved during the membership negotiations because we do not want to take problems and unresolved status issues and bring them into the EU the day Serbia joins,” Schockenhoff was quoted as saying. He underscored that bringing attackers on the German Embassy in Belgrade to justice was one of Germany’s requests and added that “it will take into account if Serbia shows readiness to cooperate with the German Embassy and government”. He added that combat against crime and corruption was also one of Germany’s requests, noting that a “plan is an important beginning” but that it needed to be implemented. Daily Politika writes that Germany also requests reconciliation in the region, implementation of agreements reached by Belgrade and Pristina, removal of the so-called parallel security and administration structures in northern Kosovo. Berlin also wants Belgrade to exert pressure on northern Kosovo Serbs to more actively cooperate with EULEX and KFOR and to show a will to normalize relations with Kosovo. The German MPs said on Tuesday that Belgrade and Pristina should "commit themselves to a normalization of relations in front of the cameras". Andreas Schockenhoff (Beta) Beta Blic

“Serbia to get EU talks date in June or at later point”

“The question is not whether accession negotiations with Belgrade will start. The only question is when it should be so it would be in the interest of a successful process,” Schockenhoff told daily Blic.

He noted that Germany expected Belgrade to solve the issue of Kosovo’s UN membership before it completes the EU accession negotiations.

“We do not expect a legally binding solution before that but it needs to be solved during the membership negotiations because we do not want to take problems and unresolved status issues and bring them into the EU the day Serbia joins,” Schockenhoff was quoted as saying.

He underscored that bringing attackers on the German Embassy in Belgrade to justice was one of Germany’s requests and added that “it will take into account if Serbia shows readiness to cooperate with the German Embassy and government”.

He added that combat against crime and corruption was also one of Germany’s requests, noting that a “plan is an important beginning” but that it needed to be implemented.

Daily Politika writes that Germany also requests reconciliation in the region, implementation of agreements reached by Belgrade and Priština, removal of the so-called parallel security and administration structures in northern Kosovo. Berlin also wants Belgrade to exert pressure on northern Kosovo Serbs to more actively cooperate with EULEX and KFOR and to show a will to normalize relations with Kosovo.

The German MPs said on Tuesday that Belgrade and Priština should "commit themselves to a normalization of relations in front of the cameras".