US Senate resolution affirmation of progress in relations with Serbia

Belgrade, April 24, 2010 (Serbia Today) – Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic stated today that a resolution passed by the United States Senate acknowledging Serbia’s efforts to integrate into Europe and the global community is an affirmation of the progress made in relations between the United States and Serbia. Djelic, who is visiting the United States, stated to the Tanjug news agency that the United States Senate passed a resolution yesterday which congratulates Serbia for submitting its application for EU candidacy and calls on the European Council to adopt a clear policy towards this request in a timely fashion. The resolution states that the United States views the EU as a source of stability, security and prosperity for Europe and the entire world, therefore Brussels is encouraged to continue its cooperation with all Western Balkan countries regarding their European integration process, said Djelic. This resolution, initiated by a group of highly influential and esteemed senators, will greatly contribute to the strengthening of relations between the United States and Serbia, said the Minister. Djelic said that the resolution affirms that the United States believes that Serbia has established full cooperation with the Hague tribunal and calls for the extradition of the two remaining indictees.

Djelic to sign agreement on scientific cooperation between Serbia, US

Belgrade, April 23. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration and Minister of Science and Technological Development Bozidar Djelic was at the visit to the United States yesterday. He signed an agreement between Serbia and the United States on scientific and technological cooperation. Djelic met with National Science Foundation Executive Arden Bement, President of the National Academy of Engineering Charles Vest and the Institute of Medicine Harvey Fineberg. The Deputy Prime Minister joined by the Serbian delegation at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB). Djelic will also meet with representatives of the State Department, Congress and USAID.

Miguel Angel Moratinos visited Belgrade

Belgrade, April 22. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Morationos arrived in Belgrade where he met the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and Turkey. The main topics for discussion was the situation in the region, the future of the Western Balkans and the other issues. Miguel Angel Moratinos arrived on Tuesday afternoon in Belgrade and held a joint meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Ahmet Davutoglu, the Foreign Minister of Turkey. At the tripartite meeting the discussion was about the regional cooperation, the European future of the Western Balkans, as well as Spain's EU presidency in the region and other issues, said the Spanish ambassador Íñigo de Palacio España to Tanjug news agency. Commenting on whether at the meeting was discused about the formula for the participation of Belgrade and Pristina at the forthcoming conference of the EU-Western Balkans in Sarajevo in June, De Palacio said that in the common interests is to find a solution for the presence of all countries and stakeholders in the region at the meeting in Sarajevo on June 2nd. "In the interest of the entire EU and all Western Balkan countries is to all countries and all stakeholders in the region to be present in Sarajevo and we will not spare the efforts to achieve that goal with the help of colleagues from the EU and all partners in the region," said the Spain Ambassador.

The Democratic Party Reveals its Donators

Belgrade, April 21. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The final financial reports for 2009 were submitted by sixteen political parties so far, but it was only the Democratic Party (DS) that made public the details of the report including its donators and financial supporters. G-17 Plus Party published its report on the Internet, but there is no list of donors, or the amount of contributions that were made. The other Parties wait until their reports are reviewed by the relevant state institutions and be published in the “Official Gazette” before they would make them public. According to the report, the DS has been funded by 52 individuals in the past year , unknown to the public, with a total of 986,037 RSD. The largest contribution was made by Dragan Vujadinović - 76,450 RSD. The Democrats also had eighteen donors among companies, which gave about 14 million RSD. As the largest single donors were listed "Media Direct" and "DM marketing international", both from Belgrade, which have made financial contributions of the 4.5 million RSD. Most of the donors, as well as in the report for 2008, are small, mostly publicly unknown companies. The spokesman for the Agency for the fight against corruption, Aleksandra Kostic, says that submitted reports will be thoroughly checked and then delivered to the public for inspection in the coming days.

The Democratic Party Reveals its Donators

Belgrade, April 21. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The final financial reports for 2009 were submitted by sixteen political parties so far, but it was only the Democratic Party (DS) that made public the details of the report including its donators and financial supporters. G-17 Plus Party published its report on the Internet, but there is no list of donors, or the amount of contributions that were made. The other Parties wait until their reports are reviewed by the relevant state institutions and be published in the “Official Gazette” before they would make them public. According to the report, the DS has been funded by 52 individuals in the past year , unknown to the public, with a total of 986,037 RSD. The largest contribution was made by Dragan Vujadinović - 76,450 RSD. The Democrats also had eighteen donors among companies, which gave about 14 million RSD. As the largest single donors were listed "Media Direct" and "DM marketing international", both from Belgrade, which have made financial contributions of the 4.5 million RSD. Most of the donors, as well as in the report for 2008, are small, mostly publicly unknown companies. The spokesman for the Agency for the fight against corruption, Aleksandra Kostic, says that submitted reports will be thoroughly checked and then delivered to the public for inspection in the coming days.

Serbian Progressive Party to elect party chiefs on April 24

Belgrade, April, 20, 2010 (Source:B92) - The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will elect its presidency and main committee on Saturday, on April 24,said Nikola Selakovic the SNS legal advisor. Selaković said at a press conference that the election would be attended by 3,200 party delegates from around the country, as well as delegations from abroad—Russia, Hungary, Greece, Italy, Bulgaria and other countries. “SNS will show that it represents a clear and certain alternative regime, that it has programs for ending the crisis and getting out of this catastrophic economic situation,” Selaković said. He added that the party would show that it has been able to gain the support of a large number of citizens in a small amount of time, and gain many partners from around the world as well. SNS legal team member Marko Djurić criticized the Serbian government for being late with announcing the competition for electing deputy ministers, administration chiefs, and state bureau directors, adding that this shows that the government is ready and willing to violate laws. He said that the deadline for announcing the competitions ended on April 16, adding that the depoliticization of the state administration is a necessary step towards development and European integration.

Warlick : We Want Serbia to Join WTO

Belgrade, April 18. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The United States of America wants to strengthen bilateral relations with Serbia and specially when it comes to trade and investments, and also to help Serbia to join the World Trade Organization, said the U.S. Ambassador Mary Warlick. "We hope that completing the process of accession to the WTO was an important component of EU accession and of the opening of the Serbian market. We think that it is very important and we will see what we can do," Mary Warlick told the press and added that she wants to focus on improving economic cooperation between Serbia and the United States and that in Washington there is great interest in this aspect of the relationship between the two countries. "We want people to know that in Serbia there are plenty of opportunities (for investment), and I think that the United States and Serbia can do much more in this regard," added the American ambassador. Commenting on the recent visit of Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg Belgrade, Mary Warlick said that Steinberg came with a message of support to the US-Serbian relations and reiterated a similar message was conveyed by Vice President Joseph Biden in May of last year. "This is largely a follow up on the visit Vice President Biden. The Deputy Secretary of State reiterated the wish that our relations with Serbia 'reset' and our desire to expand cooperation with Serbia in all areas," said Warlick.

Jagland: The Results of the Reforms in Serbia are Impressive

Belgrade, April. 16. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Torbjorn Jagland ,the Secretary General of the Council of Europe said on Wednesday in Belgrade that the reforms undertaken in Serbia are so impressive that the Committee of Ministers of the organization decided to stop special supervision and replace it with the regular analysis carried out by all Member States. "I congratulate the Serbian Government which carried out reforms that are very impressive. For this reason, the Committee of Ministers decided to replace special supervision with regular analysis," said Jagland after meeting with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic. The Secretary-General stressed out that the Council of Europe is ready to continue to assist Serbia in all the necessary reforms, particularly in reforming the judiciary and the fight against organized crime. The Vice Minister Bozidar Djelic said that the Council of Europe is an important partner of Serbia in European integration, because the EU decisions are based on the assessment of this organization when it comes to respecting human rights, the rule of law, minority rights and the like. He said that the Serbian Council of Europe will send a new report on compliance with those standards by June and by the end of the year aims to redefine its relationship with that organization. Speaking of cooperation with this organization, Djelic said that he expects that the Council of Europe continue to respect international law "and that its membership will not accept Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia. He also stressed the importance of a cooperation of Serbia with the Bank for the development of the Council of Europe Serbia is receiving substantial assistance to resolve the refugee issue, the knowledge economy and most vulnerable social groups and for June announced a visit to the Governor of the Bank of Raphael Alomar. Jagland also met the Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, the Speaker of the House Slavica Djukic Dejanovic and talked with President Boris Tadic, Minister of Interior Ivica Dacic, President of the Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs Dragoljub Micunovic, Snezana Malovic Minister of Justice and Snezana Samardzic, Ministers of Sport.

Day of mourning in Belgrade on Friday

Belgrade, April 15. 2010 (Serbia Today) - The Serbian Government proclaimed Thursday April 15th to be the Mourning day because of the death of the Polish president Lech Kacinski, and Polish State officials in plane crash at Smolensk, government representative announced. Lech Kacinski, his wife Marija, the members of the Polish Government and military leadership, as well as the crew members have died on April 10 after the plane crash at Smolensk in the west of Russia. To have an official day of mourning according to legislation according to legislation the media houses are obliged to broadcast the adequate music and the program, and the newspapers and publishing organization to print the magazines in black color, stating on the covers the decision to declare its days of mourning and celebration.

The Presidents of Serbia and Croatia in Backi Monostor on Friday

Belgrade, April 15. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Boris Tadic and Ivo Josipovic, the presidents of Serbia and Croatia, will talk on Friday April 16 in Backi Monostor (Vojvodina) and after the meeting President Josipovic will meet with National Croatia Community in Vojvodina, said Jerka Alajbeg, Croatian Consul in Croatia. The two presidents will previously participate at the trilateral meeting in Pecuj and they will be hosted by Laslo Soljom, president of Hungary. Josipovic”s visit to Backi Monostor, a place near Sombor, will be his first visit in Serbia since he became a president in February. According to Jerka Alajbeg, the Croatian National Council delegation will be lead by its president Branko Horvat, who will inform the Croatian president of the position of Croatian national minority in Vojvodina. One of the main topics will be the election for the members of the Croatian National Council announced for June.

Sutanovac signs book of condolences at Polish Embassy

Belgrade, April. 14. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac signed the Book of Condolences at the Embassy of Poland in Belgrade today following the tragic death of Polish President Lech Kaczyński and a number of top Polish officials and citizens in an airplane crash near Smolensk. With great sadness we received the news of the tragic death of the President of Poland and officials of your country. On behalf of the members of the Ministry of Defence and my own behalf I express my deepest condolences to the Polish people and the families of those killed, wrote Sutanovac. The book of condolences was also signed by Serbian Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Miloje Miletic.

PM receives one million signatures

Belgrade, April 13. 2010 ( Source: B92) - Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković met with opposition SNS and NS leaders Tomislav Nikolić and Velimir Ilić on Monday. The two opposition leaders from the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) and New Serbia (NS), and Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Vice-President Nenad Popović, handed over a petition signed by one million citizens calling for early parliamentary elections to be announced in Serbia. Nikolić told reporters that Cvetković said during the meeting that he believes his cabinet was "performing well" and that it had fulfilled "almost all goals it set out to achieve". Nikolić, Ilić and Popović announced that they would continue such joint campaigns because Serbia "needs change". The opposition parties do not believe that the government is working well and say that citizens have a low standard of living. The meeting between the three opposition officials and the prime minister lasted for about an hour. During this time, the street on which the government building is located was closed because of the large number of SNS, NS, and DSS activist, who were carrying party flags and banners. On Sunday, Nikolić told B92 TV that he sees Cvetković’s decision to meet with them as a wise one, but does not have great expectations for the meeting. “Truthfully, he is showing that this campaign we carried out is important, since the prime minister is participating in it in some way, and is showing that he is interested in what the Serbian citizens think, and that he should maybe give arguments against what we are calling for, since he obviously does not want to listen to us and meet our demands,” Nikolić said. He added that while there have been different reactions in public from government officials, it has been made clear by everyone in the ruling coalition that they do not want to announce new elections. Asked about the fact that DSS is sending its vice-president instead of its leader, Nikolić said, “Why would I insist on Vojislav Koštunica coming if he does not want to,” adding that by sending their deputy leader, it showed that DSS supports the campaign and “will support others, just as we will support some of theirs”. CeSID Director Marko Blagojević, who took part in the same talk show, said that the SNS push was a successful "marketing action", but that it would not be enough to force early elections. “I think that the chances are very slim. Only if the SNS initiative coincides with the political will inside the ruling coalition to head in that direction, to dissolve parliament and announce early parliamentary elections. It is an issue of the political will of the ruling coalition at this point, not an obligation,” he said. “SNS is a relatively new party on the Serbian political scene, regardless of the two decades of experience of its political leaders, so now they have to mobilize their supporters, and that is what SNS was successful in doing with this campaign,” political analyst Jovo Bakić, another guest on the program, said. He said that the number of signatures on the petition "does not mean that Nikolić would defeat President Boris Tadić in new presidential election"s, while Blagojević said that the campaign was "a good indication of how many votes SNS can count on receiving in future elections".

Serbia “to convince British courts” in Ganić case

Belgrade/London, April 10. 2010 (Source:B92) - War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević said that he would do everything possible to convince the London courts to extradite Ejup Ganić to Serbia. Vukčević will be attending a hearing in London on Tuesday, at which the extradition will be discussed.The former president of the Bosnia-Herzegovina presidency, Ganić, is suspected by Serbia of having committed war crimes in Sarajevo. The London courts must decide whether he will stand trial in Sarajevo or Belgrade. “We are constantly communicating with the prosecution in Great Britain. I don’t want to put pressure on the English court in any way. All decisions of the English legislature will be respected by our institutions,” Vukčević told daily Politika. Asked if he believes that Ganić would stand trial if he is extradited to Sarajevo, Vukčević said, “Many problems could occur if he stands trial in Bosnia.” “Firstly, the main problem is the problem of a fair and just trial which is needed for the satisfaction of the victims. If it is true that the president of the Bosnian Supreme Court said ‘We are all Ganić,’ then I have a reason to question the objectivity of a trial in Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Vukčević said.

Interior ministry, US security structures to continue cooperation

Belgrade, 8 April 2010 – (Serbia Today) - First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic met today with US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg. During the meeting they voiced their pleasure with the cooperation between the Serbian Ministry of the Interior and US security structures in the fight against organized crime and terrorism and agreed that this cooperation should continue. Dacic informed Steinberg about the political situation in Serbia, underlining that the government is stable and that all coalition The Minister said that Serbia has established good cooperation with countries in the region, which is a precondition for a successful fight against crime. The Ministry of the Interior also desires good cooperation with representatives of the international community in Kosovo-Metohija, namely the Kfor, UNMIK and EULEX, because it is Serbia’s goal to maintain peace and security for all citizens. They also discussed the participation of Serbian police officers in EU peace missions and the increase in their number in Haiti. Dacic thanked the US embassy in Belgrade for endorsing the ministry’s work through a number of projects.
partners wish to preserve it until the end of the mandate.

Prosecutor: Officials to face investigations

Belgrade, April, 05, 2010 (Source: B92) - Organized Crime Prosecutor Miljko Radisavljević says that investigations will be launched soon against some heads of public companies. The probes would focus on corruption, he told Belgrade daily Blic. Radisavljević also revealed that early procedures were ongoing against "some officials from public companies and the judiciary", and expects that investigations would start in a month's time. The prosecutor, who since January has jurisdiction over investigating corruption cases, said that the names of the possible suspects would be given once requests for investigations against them had been submitted.

Radisavljević also noted that "there are no untouchables" when it comes to fighting organized crime, and that the prosecution expects to be supported by successful performances of other state bodies, "above all the police". The prosecutor said that his office had set continued financial investigation into Darko Šarić's crime group as its priority. Šarić and his gang are suspected of attempting to smuggle 2.7 tons of cocaine from South America to Europe last year. Radisavljević explained that the investigation against them must be completed by mid-April, and that this is when it must be decided if indictments will be raised against the group. He voiced optimism that this would happen, and said the investigation, which saw Serbia cooperate with Uruguay, Argentina, and also Italy and other European countries, had produced "convicting evidence". According to Radisavljević, that investigation would expand to include other suspects. However, he did not wish to provide any other details.

There is no alternative but to arrest Mladic

Belgrade, April 02. 2010 ( Serbia Today ) - The Chief Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Serge Brammertz said that his report on Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal will be completed by the end of May and at this point does not know what will be like. “The fact that the previous report was positive does not mean that you will automatically be the next, because it is a new assessment, "he said in an interview with Vecernje news. Brammertz said that the arrest of the remaining fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic has no alternatives. In recent statements that could be seen that every time there was an improvement, in various areas of cooperation. I am aware that the next report is waiting with impatience, but now it is too early to speak about it, he added. According to him there is a good professional cooperation with Serbia. I hope to continue that everything will be done to fugitives be arrested. There's no alternative. As for the evaluation, I really want to be careful, "he said.All observers in and outside the tribunal agree that the policy of conditionality is an important factor and gave results. All agree that, especially with the support and encouragement from the EU, made significant progress in the former Yugoslavia. We would, therefore, that the EU continue with this approach, but must accurately separate court, the technical process, on the one hand, and the process of political decision-making, on the other. We all agree that the primary responsibility for the arrest of fugitives in the region, in general, and now especially in Serbia. I know that the Serbian authorities are working actively on this issue, which was confirmed by the operational meetings, he said.

MPs adopt Srebrenica declaration

Belgrade, April 01. 2010 (Source: B92) - After 13 hours of debate on Tuesday, the Serbian parliament adopted the declaration condemning the 1995 Srebrenica crime. The declaration condemned the crime against Bosniak (Muslim) residents of the town in the way determined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Of the 250 MPs, a majority of 127 – one more than the needed 126 – voted in favor of the resolution. Of the present MPs, 21 voted against the resolution, one abstained. Representatives of the opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) did not vote. MPs of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), New Serbia (NS), and Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) voted against the resolution. Along with condemning the Srebrenica crimes, the resolution calls for all countries of the former Yugoslavia to adopt similar resolutions condemning crimes committed against Serbs during the war and continue the process of reconciliation and strengthening conditions for living together, based on an equality of nationalities and the full respect of human and minority rights and freedoms, to make sure that such crimes never repeat themselves. The preamble of the resolution mentions the international acts that the parliament cited in the resolution, among them the Serbian Constitution and the universal UN resolution on human rights. Parliament also showed support with the resolution to institutions dealing with processing war criminal and for the conclusion of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, which includes the arrest and extradition of fugitive Ratko Mladić. The parliamentary collegium, which Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović scheduled for Thursday, will discuss the resolution for condemning crimes committed against Serbs on the territory of the former Yugoslavia during the war. Đukić-Dejanović said that the ruling coalition has drafted the first version of the resolution and added that the draft will be sent to the parliament very soon.

MPs adopt Srebrenica declaration

Belgrade, April 01. 2010 (Source: B92) - After 13 hours of debate on Tuesday, the Serbian parliament adopted the declaration condemning the 1995 Srebrenica crime. The declaration condemned the crime against Bosniak (Muslim) residents of the town in the way determined by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Of the 250 MPs, a majority of 127 – one more than the needed 126 – voted in favor of the resolution. Of the present MPs, 21 voted against the resolution, one abstained. Representatives of the opposition Serb Radical Party (SRS) and Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) did not vote. MPs of the opposition Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), New Serbia (NS), and Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) voted against the resolution. Along with condemning the Srebrenica crimes, the resolution calls for all countries of the former Yugoslavia to adopt similar resolutions condemning crimes committed against Serbs during the war and continue the process of reconciliation and strengthening conditions for living together, based on an equality of nationalities and the full respect of human and minority rights and freedoms, to make sure that such crimes never repeat themselves. The preamble of the resolution mentions the international acts that the parliament cited in the resolution, among them the Serbian Constitution and the universal UN resolution on human rights. Parliament also showed support with the resolution to institutions dealing with processing war criminal and for the conclusion of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, which includes the arrest and extradition of fugitive Ratko Mladić. The parliamentary collegium, which Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović scheduled for Thursday, will discuss the resolution for condemning crimes committed against Serbs on the territory of the former Yugoslavia during the war. Đukić-Dejanović said that the ruling coalition has drafted the first version of the resolution and added that the draft will be sent to the parliament very soon.

There is no alternative but to arrest Mladic

Belgrade, April 02. 2010 ( Serbia Today ) - The Chief Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Serge Brammertz said that his report on Serbia's cooperation with the Tribunal will be completed by the end of May and at this point does not know what will be like. “The fact that the previous report was positive does not mean that you will automatically be the next, because it is a new assessment, "he said in an interview with Vecernje news. Brammertz said that the arrest of the remaining fugitives Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic has no alternatives. In recent statements that could be seen that every time there was an improvement, in various areas of cooperation. I am aware that the next report is waiting with impatience, but now it is too early to speak about it, he added. According to him there is a good professional cooperation with Serbia. I hope to continue that everything will be done to fugitives be arrested. There's no alternative. As for the evaluation, I really want to be careful, "he said.All observers in and outside the tribunal agree that the policy of conditionality is an important factor and gave results. All agree that, especially with the support and encouragement from the EU, made significant progress in the former Yugoslavia. We would, therefore, that the EU continue with this approach, but must accurately separate court, the technical process, on the one hand, and the process of political decision-making, on the other. We all agree that the primary responsibility for the arrest of fugitives in the region, in general, and now especially in Serbia. I know that the Serbian authorities are working actively on this issue, which was confirmed by the operational meetings, he said.

SNS will submit on Wednesday the first one million signatures

By: Milen Vesovic
Belgrade, March, 31 2010 (Serbia Today) - Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will hand over to the Government of Serbia on Wednesday March 31, the first million signatures collected as a petition to call for the new Parliamentary Elections. The president of the Party Tomislav Nikolic will deliver the signatures personally. Member of the legal team of SNS, Nikola Selakovic, said at the News Conference that the Party is continuing to collect signatures.
Selaković pointed out that there are many reasons for new Elections, primarily economic ones. The resignation of the Governor of the National Bank of Serbia, Radovan Jelasic, confirms that the Regime disunities in the implementation of monetary policy. Selakovic mentioned as evidence of bad economic policy that every hour in Serbia 58 employees lose their jobs.
"That is what Government Officials have seriously to consider, and make for them one maybe difficult move, which may be the most honest and best move for the whole of Serbia, and that is to agree on Elections," said Selakovic.

No changes in Srebrenica text

Belgrade, March, 30. 2010 (Source: B92) - The Srebrenica declaration text cannot be essentially changed and could be debate in parliament as soon as on Tuesday, said Speaker Slavica Đukić-Dejanović yesterday. “This declaration text cannot be essentially modified. There are two possibilities – either to vote on the present text, or for it to be withdrawn, and that for a new document to be made,” she told Belgrade daily Blic. The speaker added that MPs could discuss the proposed text but that they could not submit amendments, as is the case with draft laws. Đukić-Dejanović could not confirm whether the resolution would be put up for voting today, she said that she was not ruling out that possibility. The newspaper reported that it was also possible that the opposition Serb Progressive Party (SNS) would vote in favor of the declaration draft, but added that the final decision would be made ahead of the parliament session today.

Serbia’s priority EU candidate status before mid-2011

Belgrade, March, 27. 2010 (Serbia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister for EU integration Bozidar Djelic stated today that Serbia’s priority is to acquire EU candidate status before the middle of 2011 and develop the capacity to access all elements of the EU budget.

Following a meeting with representatives of the Council of Europe Western Balkans Committee, led by head of the European Commission delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert, Djelic stressed that Serbia’s goal is to continue reforms in the judiciary, combat organized crime and corruption, protect competition and take an active part in the drafting of the Danube Strategy. He said that he proposed that at the “EU–Western Balkans” conference, scheduled for June in Sarajevo, one of the key topics should be the perspective of the Western Balkans before 2020, in order to harmonize the plans for this part of the Balkans with those of the EU. The Deputy Prime Minister said that Serbia will prepare this proposal and present its programme for the next ten years, adding that the official Belgrade will formulate proposals to address the strategy for Roma inclusion and the issue of refugees. Degert stressed that the EU is working together with Serbia on financial, economic and political aspects of development, adding that during their three-day stay in Belgrade the EU delegation will discuss these issues with Serbian representatives. We want to help, especially with regard to ratification of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) and the procedures regarding the candidate status for EU membership, he said, adding that it is important that members of the Union are familiar with the political, economic and social aspects in Serbia.