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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia a day away from official proposal on visa abolishment

Belgrade, 14 July 2009

Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic today stated that Serbia is one day away from the European Commission’s official proposal that visas be abolished for Serbian citizens from January 1, 2010.

At a press conference concerning the first year of the government’s term in office, Djelic said that the European Commission will send the formal proposal to the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, who should make their final decision in late November or early December.

He announced that another European Commission technical mission should arrive in Serbia this autumn to make sure that Serbia is committed to the Schengen white list and is boosting its administrative capacity.

Djelic said that aside from reaching a consensus with parliament that EU integration is strategic for Serbia, this is the most important result for this government over the past year.

The EU is Serbia’s key financial partner and Serbia is the only country in the region that has received a one-off assistance of €100 million, he said, noting that over 80% of the money for the construction of Corridor 10 will be provided from European funds.

He announced that even when visas are abolished for Serbian citizens Serbia will continue fighting against organised crime, corruption and the drug trade, in order to maintain a visa-free regime and become part of the Schengen zone.

Djelic denied rumours that the government will recognise the unilaterally declared Kosovo independence by allowing the abolishment of visas only for citizens living in Serbia proper.

He reiterated that Serbia will neither directly nor indirectly recognize Kosovo independence, pointing out that some countries in the Schengen zone, such as Spain, Greece and Slovakia, have not recognized Kosovo independence either.

We should be patient and wait for the European Commission to solve the problem of visa abolition for Kosovo Serbs.

Thanks to this government, as well as former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and former Interior Minister Dragan Jocic, Serbia is only one step away from visa liberalization.

Djelic noted that Serbia will submit its EU membership application as soon as the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) officially comes into force, recalling that the main precondition for the unfreezing of the SAA is full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal.

The Minister pointed to Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor’s statement that Serbia is doing all it can to arrest the two remaining Hague indictees, Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic.

Djelic said that the unilateral implementation of the Transitional Trade Agreement and the setting up of the National Programme for EU Integration have also contributed to Serbia’s visa liberalisation.

Director of the government’s EU Integration Office Milica Delevic said that the efficiency of the Serbian parliament will certainly be included in a report concerning the fulfilment of EU integration criteria.