Brussels, 30/06/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 30 June, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called for dialogue to resume between Serbia and Kosovo, after they ground to a halt following general elections in the two countries. After a meeting with the Serbian prime minister, Aleksandar Vucic, in Belgrade, he said that this was one of the priority issues for the EU and that “we expect the two sides to continue delivering results in the implementation. The high-level meetings will hopefully resume soon as there is still much work to be done”. Barroso commended the “impressive results in the dialogue” and pointed out that “both parties have shown political foresight, courage and vision in reaching a number of agreements and also results on implementation”.
The Commission president also highlighted the “considerable progress” that Serbia had made towards joining the EU and said that “it is positive that accession negotiations have been proceeding smoothly so far”. During his meeting with the Serbian president, Tomislav Nikolic, he said that the negotiations were progressing at a good pace and that 18 of the 35 chapters had entered the “screening” process. Serbia began its accession negotiations in June 2013 and Nikolic said that his country would be the “next member state”.
The president of the European Commission was delighted with the priorities of Vucic's government and “its reform priorities and EU aspirations”. He welcomed the attention paid by the government to improving the rule of law, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the commitment to fundamental rights, reform of the public administration and economic reform.
EU assistance to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina after the floods that hit these countries in May which constituted the most substantial civil protection intervention ever made in Europe, was also at the heart of the debate. A donors' conference is planned for 16 July in Brussels. Barroso explained that “we will now plan together mid- to long-term reconstruction and disaster prevention”. (CG)