Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia will not give up on EU integration, resolution to Kosovo issue

Belgrade, 16 December 2011

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said in an interview for today’s issue of Vecernje Novosti daily that despite the fact that Serbia has not been granted candidate status, the government will not give up on a course which implies moving towards the EU and resolving the issue of Kosovo-Metohija.

Author: novosti.rs

The government’s official website gives excerpts of the interview.

Is Serbia being asked to recognise Kosovo’s independence?

This government will not recognise the independence of Kosovo-Metohija, either explicitly or implicitly. We believe that dialogue is the only way to permanently stabilise the situation in the province and the region. Dialogue, and a successful one at that, should be our “ticket” for the EU.

By insisting that Serbia should give up on UN SC Resolution 1244 are we in fact being asked to give up on Kosovo?

Such a request was not delivered to us explicitly. Simply, some of the solutions for Pristina’s participation in regional forums, which were insisted upon, suggest that such a request is behind all that. This is not acceptable for Serbia.

How will Serbia convince its European partners by March that it is being faced with an impossible request?

I believe that after all that has transpired, the EU is aware that this is not acceptable to us. It seems to me that some countries had a false perception – that we were pushed forward on our EU path solely thanks to pressure. This is absolutely not true. All that we have done, including the conclusion of cooperation with the Hague tribunal, we did for our own good, and not because someone was pressing us to do so. And now we showed that pressure is a bad tactic and that agreement should be reached which is acceptable to all.

Has insistence on giving up on Resolution 1244 in fact brought into question the continuation of dialogue?

It is crucial that we resume the talks. We are making all efforts to sit down at the negotiating table again because this is the path to a solution. Resolution 1244 was passed by the UN Security Council, it has not been disputed by anyone and we see no reason why it could not be used as a critical coordinate in the future dialogue.

Is Serbia remaining steadfast regarding the stance that the state will not abandon the institutions in the north of Kosovo?

Of course. The government, I repeat, has committed to two things: to go towards Europe and stay with our people in Kosovo.

When will the remaining decrees on agreements reached in Brussels be adopted?

We are working on the decrees. We formed an office to deal with technical matters surrounding the agreements and their implementation. This office is now the hub of all relevant information. These decrees are in line with the Constitution, otherwise we would not be adopting them.

The importance of EU integration:

EU candidacy and membership are important to us, but it is even more important that we synchronise our system of values with that of Europe and to make our society a better one.

In case we face several years’ long postponement of EU integration, is the government prepared to revise its policy towards Kosovo?

No, this government was formed and it functions in line with the mandate it was given and it implies EU integration as a necessary direction we are moving to, with the preservation of territorial integrity in Kosovo.

About the strategy for Jat:

Since we are left without the sole bidder, we must compose a new strategy. I think it is good for a state to have its national air carrier.

Measures to mitigate global economic crisis:

Our economy is closely linked to the surroundings and other countries. Around 60% of the trade exchange is with the EU and whatever they feel, we feel too. Additional problem is trouble in countries such as Italy and Greece with which we cooperate. That is why we will try to mitigate the negative effects with an adequate fiscal and monetary policy.

If we were a larger country, we would have had a greater scope of solutions. Transition and the crisis are leading to layoffs, and despite all that, we are still standing, unlike some other countries. The budget deficit, which will be somewhat lower this year, is in fact an incentive and an antirecession measure. More money than we have drawn through tax is being loaded into the system and we are stimulating demand.

On the budget for 2012:

As for the fiscal policy, deficit is the key. We are striving to secure additional funds for the economy and we will draw the €250 million EU loan which will be available in mid-January. I also talked with representatives of the Black Sea Bank on our potential participation in their capital, which will enable us long-term debts, however not of the state, but of SMEs. The deficit will be somewhat lower than this year. Naturally, the new government will have to revise the budget based on these figures to adjust it to its own economic policy.

About public debt:

By the end of the year the public debt will approach the legal limit of 45% of GDP. However, once we enter 2012, our GDP will go up. We will also pay back some of our debts and the public debt in percentages will drop.