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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia ready to fulfil terms for EU candidacy in 2009

Belgrade, 7 November 2008

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic stated today that Serbia is capable of and ready to fulfil the terms necessary for acquiring EU candidate status in 2009, although the key condition is uncertain, that being the completion of its required cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

Author: blic.co.yu

In an interview for today’s edition of the Blic daily, Djelic stressed that the tribunal’s Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz told EU foreign ministers that Serbia is doing its best to conclude cooperation with the tribunal.

He emphasised that this was also recently confirmed in France, adding that he appealed to Europe to unfreeze the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) at the end of France’s EU presidency.

The Serbian government’s official web site gives excerpts from the interview.

Will Serbia manage to fulfil all conditions for EU candidate status in 2009?

Serbia is ready to fulfil them, but the key condition is uncertain, and that is the completion of cooperation with the tribunal in The Hague. It has lasted for years and it is high time we completed the matter.

Are you ready for the new signing? The pen is safe and ready. I impatiently wait the day when we will send the demand for candidate status, but before that it will be good if we manage to abolish visas for our citizens. I cannot guarantee the exact date, since it does not depend on me alone but I can tell you that the day is getting closer and all our efforts will yield results, most likely in 2009.

Laws necessary for the Schengen "white list“ have been adopted. What else is needed for travelling without visas to become a reality?

The laws must be implemented. In the 2009 budget we must provide enough funds because we have more work to do. European Commission Vice President Jacques Barrot, judging by what he told me the other day, will present a report in Zagreb today which is favourable for Serbia,. Serbia is a favourite for the Schengen "white list“ in the Western Balkans, which, however, is not a guarantee as all Schengen countries must consent to that. We must complete the necessary tasks before spring, when the technical part of the process will be completed and transferred to the political level.

What can be a problem for Serbia’s inclusion in the Schengen "white list“?

Europeans often say they are not afraid that our citizens will migrate, but simply wonder whether our system is good enough to prevent Serbia from becoming a transit country for illegal immigrants. However, Europe is entering a recession and is not currently feeling very generous. People in the West are solely focused on keeping their jobs or having their loans granted. That’s the reality we are faced with.

How do you interpret EU officials’ statements that Serbia would send a positive signal in the integration process if it accepts EULEX?

It is not true that the deployment of EULEX is a precondition for the SAA, nor has Kosovo ever been mentioned in this context. Europe knows this would be counterproductive. The EU is divided on the Kosovo issue and five members have not recognised it. Therefore EULEX cannot be status-neutral because countries opposed to the province’s independence had also voted for it. Our second condition is the mission’s approval by the UN Security Council. The new deadline is November 11 and I hope this will be solved in ongoing talks.

On cutting down the budget for Universiade:

The next thing to do is to talk about the budget for security measures with the Ministry of the Interior. After that Serbia will be ready to organise one of the most beautiful Universiades ever held. The London Olympics in 2012 and the Winter Olympics in Sochi 2014 have also drastically reduced their budgets. Serbia cannot organise the most luxurious event, as it is negotiating its 2009 budget with the IMF at the moment.

Candidates for managing positions in public companies must not be party members:

Until we achieve depolitisation in public companies the state will continue to appoint the management staff. However, the Serbian government has reduced the fees of executive board members in public companies in other to cope with the ongoing crisis. We must make sure that the management of public companies share the fate of other citizens.

Large companies investing in Serbia:

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and directors of France’s top companies have decided to visit Serbia in the first half of 2009. I have recently returned from France where we agreed that France’s Sagem invests in our former electronic appliances company EI Nis. The investment is worth €15 million and 250 workers will be employed. Before Paris I was in Turkey, who currently has the world’s 15th largest economy. We are working on establishing a customs free zone between Serbia and Turkey. I also met there with representatives of Sabanci and Koc. Sabanci Group, the second largest bus and truck producer in Europe, is interested in our truck factory FAP.