Brussels, 30/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Serbia can look forward to a positive “opinion” from the European Commission on its accession application, and possibly even a hint of a date for opening accession negotiations, if it makes serious progress on the reforms prescribed by the Commission in its 2010 progress report, Commissioner Stefan Füle told the Serbian parliament in Belgrade on 29 March. The Commission opinion on Serbia's application, which was submitted in December 2009, is expected for autumn of this year. An EU decision on granting applicant status and, perhaps, the launch of accession negotiations could be taken in December. “The opinion of the European Commission is the golden opportunity to move to the next symbolically crucial stage: hopefully candidate status, and maybe even a date for starting negotiations”, Füle told Serbian MPs, adding: “It is our shared interest to see Serbia as a good news story for enlargement in 2011. It would be good news for Serbia, good news for the region and good news for the EU”.
Eight priorities. However, Füle went on to say, the positive opinion will only follow substantial reform. “You deliver on reforms, and the EU delivers on your progress” in the accession process, he said. The Commission, in effect, wants swift action in the following six areas of: reform of the judicial sector, tackling corruption and organised crime (Belgrade has already beefed up the legislative framework, “but we need much, much more”), electoral law reform, ensuring proper functioning of independent regulatory bodies, the establishment of legal clarity and certainty on property rights, and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms. “These are some of the most urgent internal reforms Serbia needs to undertake in the weeks and months ahead” as they will be decisive in the Commission's assessment on how well applicant countries meet the “political criteria”. Fulfilling these political criteria will be essential if a positive opinion is to be granted, Füle stated. The commissioner recommended “a seventh and an eighth priority” to Belgrade: pursuing the dialogue, which has been on-going since 8 March, under the auspices of the EU (see EUROPE 10330 and 10347), with Pristina on Kosovo, and full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). “Cooperation with the ICTY will be crucial for the conclusions of the opinion and for the decision of the 27 member states”, Füle said. Several member states, and, in particular, the Netherlands, still harbour doubts over Belgrade's desire to cooperate fully with the Tribunal in the arrest of Radko Mladic and Goran Hadzic. It is very much in Serbia's interest to convince the Dutch of its willingness, as European Council decisions on awarding applicant country status and opening accession talks have to be taken unanimously. (H.B./transl.rt)