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Sat, May 26 2012
Serbia to be EU member ‘some time in next decade’ – Rehn
Boris Tadic and Fredrik Reinfeldt at the December 22 2009 ceremony at which Serbia formally applied to join the EU.
European Union leaders hailed December 22 2009 as a "historic day" as Serbian president Boris Tadić handed his country’s application for EU membership to Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister of Sweden, the holder of the rotating presidency of the bloc.
At a ceremony in Stockholm, Reinfeldt said: "I welcome this historic step for Serbia.
"It reflects the Serbian government’s strong determination and the broad popular support for EU membership. A Serbian membership is important not just for Serbia, but for the region as a whole. This is an important addition to the EU family," Reinfeldt said.
Tadić also described the day as a "historic" one for his country.
"It is the 10th year of democratic life, 10 years after the end of the war, 10 years after the end of our isolation. During these 10 years, our main goal has been to bring Serbia into the EU. Now we will continue with the reform work in the hope of becoming a full EU member in a few years’ time," Tadić said.
In spring 2009, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on free trade was signed between Serbia and the EU.
Since then, according to an EU presidency media statement, the coalition government headed by Tadić has implemented a series of reforms, for example in the area of justice, and improved the technical co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal where several former political leaders are facing trial following the conflict in the region in the 1990s.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Serbia had come a long way over the past 10 years.
"I speak on the behalf of the entire European Commission when I say that the Commission is looking forward to working with Serbia," Rehn said.
"Serbia is a key country on the Western Balkans and we can now see that the whole region is moving closer to the EU. This is important from a peace-keeping point of view and to the future of Europe," he said.
Several reforms remain to be implemented on the part of Serbia.
Meanwhile, the application will be going through the EU application procedure.
The first step is the Council of Ministers adopting a position on whether Serbia qualifies as a candidate country and then tasking the European Commission with commencing negotiations with the candidate country.
Asked when a full membership can be considered, Rehn said that it should happen "within the next decade".
At a ceremony in Stockholm, Reinfeldt said: "I welcome this historic step for Serbia.
"It reflects the Serbian government’s strong determination and the broad popular support for EU membership. A Serbian membership is important not just for Serbia, but for the region as a whole. This is an important addition to the EU family," Reinfeldt said.
Tadić also described the day as a "historic" one for his country.
"It is the 10th year of democratic life, 10 years after the end of the war, 10 years after the end of our isolation. During these 10 years, our main goal has been to bring Serbia into the EU. Now we will continue with the reform work in the hope of becoming a full EU member in a few years’ time," Tadić said.
In spring 2009, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on free trade was signed between Serbia and the EU.
Since then, according to an EU presidency media statement, the coalition government headed by Tadić has implemented a series of reforms, for example in the area of justice, and improved the technical co-operation with the UN war crimes tribunal where several former political leaders are facing trial following the conflict in the region in the 1990s.
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that Serbia had come a long way over the past 10 years.
"I speak on the behalf of the entire European Commission when I say that the Commission is looking forward to working with Serbia," Rehn said.
"Serbia is a key country on the Western Balkans and we can now see that the whole region is moving closer to the EU. This is important from a peace-keeping point of view and to the future of Europe," he said.
Several reforms remain to be implemented on the part of Serbia.
Meanwhile, the application will be going through the EU application procedure.
The first step is the Council of Ministers adopting a position on whether Serbia qualifies as a candidate country and then tasking the European Commission with commencing negotiations with the candidate country.
Asked when a full membership can be considered, Rehn said that it should happen "within the next decade".
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serbia soon member of E.U!!!nice news!!!!
@axel,
learn a little something please.
what was bosnia, macedonia, kosovo, montenegro pre jugoslavia ???
REGIONS OF SERBIA. TITO carved up serbia for the idea of a jugoslavia to seem more balanced in the eyes of the other two parts of jugoslavia..slovenija and croatia...why have they both gone back to pre jugoslavia borders but not serbia ?? actually croatia is larger then it was pre jugoslavia
also YES germany france and england are very respectful of a united/strong serbia ..talk to old frenchmen and germans and [...]
Read the full comment you'll understand how much potential they know serbia has ..but it is a potential those big EU countries do not want to see fulfilled!
serbia does not deserve eu membership..we dont need a snake in the grass. If every single former neighbor of theirs sought to escape them, why on earth would we want them?
I dont feel we need to shoulder the burden of dangling a carrot in front of these barbarians to try and draw them by the nose kicking and screaming into civilization.
@peter, stop deluding yourself... no one had "carved" anything. Serbia was never the equivalent of Yugoslavia...its that kind of thinking and the resulting madness serbia caused that led it to [...]
Read the full comment where it is today. the idea that perpetrators continue to play the victim role disgusts me. forget about kosovo... many of us Dont want you, it is YOU who are begging at our door.
BFD!!! Serbia can thanks its wonderful "friends" in the US led EU for carving up Serbia and handing it to Muslim Albanians. The EU supreme command (Germany, England and France) were the ones who wanted a WEAK and crippled Serbia and want no competition to their authority as there is no equality in the EU (just ask the newer members. Serbia should tell the EU to IPM as it plainly doesn't need to join this club of big power wannabes. Serbia will never be a member until it hands over Kosovo officially and this has always been the end game [...]
Read the full comment of the EU. Sell your soul and be a member.