BELGRADE – Miroslav Lajcak, Slovakia’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, has voiced expectation that, regardless of forthcoming parliamentary elections and their results, Serbia will continue along the European path, and noted that it is important that political stability be maintained in the country.
All Serbian partners in the EU noticed the efforts that the government in Belgrade has been making and their results and I sincerely hope that, regardless of the elections and their results, this resolve and commitment to the European path will last, Lajcak told the Belgrade-based daily Danas.
He noted that it is very important in this context that political stability be kept in Serbia, which enables all actors to focus on meeting the criteria for the EU entry, and not waste time on internal political fights.
When it comes to internal reforms, Lajcak said there is no doubt that Serbia is heading in the right direction.
He, however, noted that there is still room for improvement- the fight against corruption and organized crime, judiciary reform, better conditions for investors.
Speaking about Serbia’s most important tasks in the next several months in relation to the EU integration process, he said that Serbia is at the beginning of a very lengthy process, where it is to face many various challenges and difficult decisions.
Now, it is necessary to focus on fulfilling the criteria for chapters 23 (judiciary and fundamental rights) and 24 (justice, freedom and security) and, of course, chapter 35 (normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations) which constitute the basic framework not just for opening all other chapters, but also for making progress in the entire negotiation process. On the other hand, your country has all conditions, including an efficient apparatus and many experienced professionals, to do an excellent job, Lajcak said.
He congratulated Serbia on the start of EU accession negotiations, noting that this is a historic moment for Serbian citizens and Serbia that got a great reward thanks to the determined policy of the Serbian government which is committed to carrying out necessary reforms.
http://www.tanjug.rs/news/114915/lajcak–advance-along-eu-path–preserve-stability.htm
