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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Key step in European integration

Belgrade, 28 January 2011

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic stated today that the Serbian government by the end of its mandate will make a substantial step forward in European integration, which will make the EU accession process an irreversible process.

Author: Tanjug

Cvetkovic said in an interview with the Tanjug news agency, before leaving for Brussels where he will on 31 January submit to EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule over 2,500 responses to the Questionnaire of the European Commission, that at the time this government was formed Serbia was in the early stages of relations with the EU.

In less than three years we have made enormous progress – implementation of the Interim Trade Agreement started, visa regime was liberalised, and finally we received the Questionnaire of the European Commission on Serbia's candidacy for EU membership, said the Prime Minister.

He stressed that Serbia will by the end of the year finish all its candidate status obligations, making a key shift in European integration.

Our plan is that by the end of this calendar year we complete with all the jobs that are necessary to obtain an opinion for our candidature, he said.

We will submit answers to additional questions very soon, perhaps within a month after we get them, he said.

He explained that the process of European integration has two lines – the Questionnaire, where Serbia has demonstrated considerable efficiency, and the process of reforms, that must be implemented before receiving final opinion of the European Commission.

The Prime Minister believes that there will be additional questions, as this was the case with other countries of the region.

Serbia has already formed working groups by sectors in order to more readily and more quickly respond to new package of questions from Brussels, he said.

The Prime Minister said that it would be ideal if the negotiations for full EU membership started at the same time when the opinion arrives.

We want to set a date for the launch of negotiations as soon as possible, said the Prime Minister.

The Serbian Prime Minister pointed out to the efforts that European integration should be totally transparent and announced that the answers that he will hand over to Fule will be published on the Serbian government’s website.

Responses to the Questionnaire of the European Commission were completed in record time, and involved non-governmental sector, which has been done in any other country in the process of European integration, concluded the Prime Minister.