Brussels, 26/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - After an end of 2009 particularly fruitful for Serbia's European aspirations (unblocking of interim SAA, visa liberalisation and submission of accession application), 2010 will perhaps be less spectacular in terms of outcomes, but will be every bit as crucial as the year just past, Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister Vuc Jeremic said on Tuesday. Speaking to press after the political dialogue meeting with Miguel Ángel Moratinos (Spanish Presidency) and Commissioner Olli Rehn (Enlargement), Jeremic stated that accession to the EU remained Serbia's “main strategic priority”. He also expressed the hope that the process of ratification of the stabilisation and association agreement (SAA), currently being blocked by the Netherlands, might be begun soon. Belgrade hopes, too, that the Council will very quickly call on the Commission to prepare its opinion on the accession application. Member states are in the “consultation” phase on this issue, Moratinos said, hoping for a decision “the sooner the better”. Rehn said that the Commission was ready to begin work as soon as the Council asks it to go ahead.
Moratinos also confirmed that a “high-level meeting” would be held with the Balkan countries “in Sarajevo at the end of May”, to mark the 10th anniversary of the first EU-Balkans summit in Zagreb in November 2000. Kosovo, he said, would also be invited. (This is a delicate issue since Spain is one of five EU member states not to have recognised the independence of Kosovo.) Despite the different points of view on recognising Kosovo, the Spanish Presidency will adopt a “pragmatic and constructive” stance on Kosovo, Moratinos said. Jeremic reiterated Serbia's well known position, that the issue of the status of the “province of Kosovo” has yet to be settled. He hoped that a compromise acceptable to all would be found so that the whole Balkan region, including Kosovo, could join the EU. “No one should be left behind,” he said. (H.B./transl.rt)