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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Full membership in EU strategic priority for Serbia

Belgrade, 14 July 2016

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said today that Serbia's contribution to the common foreign and security policy of the EU is seen through participation in peacekeeping missions and its role in the region.

Dacic told a conference titled "European Union's Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy and the Western Balkans" that Serbia specifically demonstrated this during last year's chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

He reiterated that our strategic priority is full membership in the European Union, and stressed that the common strategy of foreign and security policy of the EU was followed with great attention in Serbia, even though our country is not a member, and was not involved in its development.

This strategy is significant for Serbia, considering the fact that we have started negotiations on membership in the EU, which is an important part of compliance with the policies of the Union, he said.

The world, and therefore the EU, as well as the Western Balkans, are going through great trials and challenges, such as terrorism, migration, religious fanaticism and climate change, said the First Deputy Prime Minister .

According to Dacic, our country has so far proved to be a reliable and credible partner in the preservation of stability in the Western Balkans, but also in mitigating the effects of the migrant crisis, which shook the whole of Europe.

Dacic said that since the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2008 Serbia began the process of harmonisation with the common foreign and security policy of the EU, although it was legally binding as of 2013 with the entry into force of this document.

He said that Serbia provides a significant contribution to this policy through participation in military missions of the European Union and the United Nations (UN), and in that way Serbia proved to be a consistent and reliable partner of the Union.

At the moment, as he passed, 336 members of the Army of Serbia in multinational operations of the UN and the EU, of which 29 in the EU peacekeeping missions.

The First Deputy Prime Minister said that for its contribution in relation to the population of Serbia is the first in the region and the eighth in Europe, and added that our country can make a contribution to the EU civilian missions.

The strategic orientation of Serbia is full membership in the EU. Unfortunately, this process has been slow, as we have opened only two chapters, he said.

Dacic said that it is encouraging that our country on 18 July will continue the process of opening two key reform and political chapters, 23 and 24, and added that Serbia hopes to open more chapters by the end of the year.

The First Deputy Prime Minister said that our country wants an open and continuous dialogue with the EU institutions and member states on all issues in the field of foreign and security policy.

Dacic also expressed satisfaction that today's conference is attended by European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister.