Izvor: N1 televizija, 09.Jul.2018, 09:52 (ažurirano 02.Apr.2020.)
EU Delegation chief: Serbia’s European path irreversible
Serbia’s accession to the European Union is not a question of If but When, EU Ambassador in Belgrade Sem Fabrizi told the FoNet news agency.
He warned that a legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina does not automatically mean that Serbia will become an EU member.
The head of the EU Delegation said that the process is irreversible. “Two thirds of the foreign investments in >> Pročitaj celu vest na sajtu N1 televizija << Serbia are from the EU and two thirds of the country’s exports are to the EU. People are travelling all over Europe and that shows that the process is irreversible,” Fabrizi said.
Fabrizi said there are 35 chapters in the pre-accession negotiations with two priority areas – the normalization of relations with Pristina and the rule of law. “Those are two completely different areas but they resolve the important historic issue with Pristina and transform the country into a democracy in a way in which it can function in the EU,” Fabrizi said.
Speaking about the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Fabrizi said there is a feeling that a legally binding agreement is necessary. “It’s up to both sides to negotiate it, from the content to a final date, and to realize that the status quo is not necessary or useful and they said at their latest meeting in Brussels that they would speed things up,” he said.
According to Fabrizi, the Belgrade-Pristina negotiations are an important issue which has to be resolved with trust and discretion. “I think it is up to both sides to explain to their citizens what is happening and what is being agreed,” he added.
Asked about the seeming discord between EU reports and conclusions and statements by European officials, Fabrizi said that accession to the EU is a complex process, adding that he does not think there is discord between reports and statements but consistency. EU officials have said that a lot of important things have been done in Serbia and that progress has been achieved but warn that in some areas, such as the rule of law, that progress is limited and more has to be done, he said.
“The most important thing is to detect areas where further progress is needed,” Fabrizi added. He did not want to comment the possibility that the government does not want to give up its political influence on the judiciary, saying that the government said it wants to implement the Venice Commission recommendations on amendments to the constitution. We should wait for the final result and a final draft of the amendments [covering the judiciary], the ambassador said. Fabrizi said that the media sector, just like other segments of society, has to be transformed in line with EU values.
“My impression is that the government has to realize that free media space in a democratic society has to be orderly and that there has to be free access to media, to advertising and free access to public services,” he said.
Commenting claims of Russia’s influence in Serbia and public perceptions about EU investments and donations, Fabrizi said the money is there to support Serbia on the road to the EU. “It’s a normal thing for Serbia to have good relations with Russia like practically all other European states,” he said, recalling that Serbia has agreed to harmonize its foreign policy with that of the EU before it becomes a member of the Union.
