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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Completion of national strategy for EU accession in May

Belgrade, 18 April 2005

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said today that the visit of EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn to Belgrade points to the importance of the European Commission’s decision that Serbia-Montenegro satisfies conditions for the beginning of negotiations on the EU Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

Olli Rehn and Vojislav Kostunica

After talks with Rehn, Kostunica underlined that the start of the talks is very important, as it leads to the beginning of negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement at the end of summer or beginning of autumn, which symbolically coincides with the anniversary of the democratic changes that took place in the autumn of 2000.

On behalf of the Serbian government, Kostunica expressed readiness to directly take part in these talks, in cooperation with Brussels, and announced that the national strategy for EU accession, which represents the equivalent to the feasibility study, will be completed in May.

The Serbian Prime Minister assessed that time is of utmost importance for our country and reforms, and added that the arrival of the EU Enlargement Commissioner so soon after the positive assessment of the feasibility study represents an opportunity to discuss the key elements of this study related to the structure of authority and reforms, including economic reforms.

According to him, one of the most important issues discussed with Rehn was making the entire constitutional system of Serbia-Montenegro, as well as that of Serbia and Montenegro individually, more coherent.

Kostunica explained that this relates to the specific organisation of authority and the need to draw a clear distinction between competence and responsibility of the state union versus that of the member states. He specified that this will be achieved through a revision of the Serbia-Montenegrin Constitution, and in the case of Serbia the adoption of a new constitution, which will resolve many issues currently not clearly defined between the two constitutional systems.

The Serbian Prime Minister said that he also talked with Rehn about issues relating to the state union as a whole, such as the question of asylum, migration, border control and others that fall under the jurisdiction of the state union and added that there was talk about macroeconomic stability.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn expressed satisfaction with the fact that after his visit to Belgrade in January great progress was made in cooperation with the Hague tribunal and congratulated Kostunica and other politicians who contributed to this improvement as well as to the reforms.

In talks with the Serbian Prime Minister, Rehn pointed to the importance of continuing the current rate of reforms of the judiciary system, the economy, political reforms, the fight against corruption and organised crime, as well as the need for ongoing cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

He explained that in the next three months the EU will prepare a time frame for the negotiations and that he expects the negotiations to begin in autumn.

According to him, during that time Serbia-Montenegro should maintain its speed of reforms, on which a consensus should be reached and a national strategy for EU accession adopted, and which will represent the first step in this process.

Rehn welcomed the new status and new relations now established between the EU and Serbia-Montenegro, and expressed satisfaction with the fact that in the forthcoming period he will be in a position to cooperate with Kostunica and state union representatives.