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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

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Serbia concludes negotiations on SAA faster than any other country in region

Belgrade, 13 September 2007

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Serbian negotiating team Bozidar Djelic said today that Serbia was fastest in the region in concluding negotiations on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU.

Bozidar Djelic

Djelic told a press conference held on the occasion of the successful conclusion of technical negotiations on the SAA that negotiations lasted ten months and recalled that they began in October 2005, but there was an interruption of 13 months due to troubles in cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

He said that it was proved that a change of government does not mean a change in the negotiating position, and expressed gratitude to former Deputy Prime Minister Miroljub Labus for successfully leading the first part of negotiations.

Djelic expressed his conviction that Serbia will initial the agreement by the middle of October, but pointed to the fact that signing the agreement will depend on cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

He stressed that Serbia will initial the SAA in record time, a mere three weeks after conclusion of negotiations, and added that for other countries in the region this period was at least three months.

He said that next week in Brussels, Serbian Minister of Interior Dragan Jocic will sign the agreements on visa relaxations and readmission with representatives of the European Commission.

Speaking on harmonisation of domestic legislation with European, Djelic said that of the 44 laws which Serbian parliament must adopt during the next two months, five are already complete, while the rest will be finished by the end of October.

Director of the Serbian government’s EU Integration Office Tanja Miscevic pointed to the fact that negotiations with the EU were concluded successfully, but Serbia has now to finish the major part of work since it is very important to show good results in the area of reforms prior to the publication of the report by the European Commission on the country’s progress in the process of European integration.

Speaking on the meeting of the Enhanced Permanent Dialogue which is to be held this week in Belgrade, she said that the main subjects are the judiciary, police reform, fight against organised crime and other areas which should be dealt with so that Serbia could be put on the White Schengen List.

According to Miscevic, one of the subjects at the meeting this week will also be cooperation between Serbia and the Hague tribunal, which is a condition for completing the process of stabilisation and association of Serbia with the EU.