Brussels, 07/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - Early-March, the Commission should be adopting the first package of measures earmarked for Serbia financed by the 240 million euro already included in Budget 2001. On the occasion of a visit by a ministerial EU troika to Belgrade on Thursday (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.7), the EU and Serbia should discuss these measures, like the World Bank/Commission report that has to prepare a donor conference, "for the middle of the year". The Commission refuses to set a precise date, for either the publication of the report or the Conference. For that conference, the question of the arrears Yugoslavia owes several international institutions will have to be settled, the Commission stipulates.
In addition, on the eve of the Troika meeting, the European Commission especially wanted to point out that the Serb population was well informed on the aid the EU was providing. An information campaign, commissioned of the consultants Strat & Com, will be conducted throughout the year, for a total of 500,000 euro. "We are often criticised for being slow, inefficient and not visible", whereas the aid is important and arriving swiftly, and the Commission wanted the Serb people to know that, is what the spokesperson for Commissioner Patten declared in substance.