There is no word from Brussels how the suspension of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue following Ramus Haradinaj’s “arrest” might have on Serbia’s EU integration.
Serbia’s chief negotiator with the EU, Tanja Miscevic, said this on Monday.
Speaking for N1, when asked whether Serbia can hope to open new EU membership negotiations chapters “if the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has not resumed by June,” she said that “for Serbia, the condition is the appraisal of what it did in the process of the dialogue.”
“I do not think there is an argument that could be used to say Serbia has not done all that was possible to ensure a continuation of the dialogue or implementation of agreements,” Miscevic said.
She expressed hope that the deadlock in the dialogue will not affect Serbia’s EU path and that “it will be recognized that there has been progress.”
Miscevic said that the next chapters which could be opened are 29, relating to customs union, 7 on intellectual property rights, 6 on company law and 30 on foreign economic relations.
She also that the past six months that seen “a noticeable increase in support for the process of European integration, from 42 to 46 percent.”
Speaking about Serbia’s foreign policy and position with respect to Russia, Miscevic said it was “not one of balancing, but a clear strategic message – ‘membership, while retaining relationships.”
Miscevic also appraised that “the message of the chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee of the European Parliament, David McAllister, about the Balkans remaining a very explosive region, and about Russia consciously implementing a policy of destabilization in Serbia” may have been addressed “to the EU and its member states.”
“Europe is preoccupied with its own issues, but must be present in the Balkans,” she said.
