It is of utmost importance that the EU keeps its attention on the West Balkans, because the European perspective is a key factor for the improvement of the regional cooperation and success of the Belgrade-Pristina dialog, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic has stated in Berlin. At the 6th conference of South East European heads of diplomacy he said that the success of the Belgrade-Pristina dialog showed that the enlargement policy was still a strong incentive for the West Balkans, and it confirmed that the EU was an unavoidable factor in promoting the peace and stability in the region.

“During the mandate of the new European Commission and with the new composition of the European Parliament, we expect that the subject of enlargement stays in the focus of the Union and its member-states,” Dacic said. He has pointed that Serbia is committed to the active and constructive policy of the regional cooperation and normalization of the relations with Pristina, as confirmed by the conference of foreign and economy ministers of the West Balkans countries, held in Belgrade on 23 October. Dacic has repeated that the key priority of the national foreign policy is the membership in the EU, and the vision of the common European future is shared by everyone in the West Balkans. “We see the full membership of the countries of our region in the EU as the result of a joint work and partner relations between the West Balkans and the EU. We do not ask for any privileges from the Union, when it comes to meeting the criteria for membership,” Dacic said. While emphasizing that Serbia is ready for the deeper cooperation, aimed at the acceleration of the European integrations of the region, both with those advanced in the process and those in the early stages, he has assessed it is important that everybody on that course makes progress in line with their results, without keeping the imposed pace in the process of association.

Dacic has reminded that the reform accomplishments of Serbia have been positively assessed in the latest report of the European Commission, and announced that in the upcoming period Belgrade will extend even more effort in strengthening the rule of law, reforming the public administration, improving the freedom of media and expression, as well as solving the problem of the budgetary deficit and stimulating the development of the private sector. The strengthening of the state and the rule of law, as a prerequisite for attracting the foreign investments, along with activating small and middle enterprises, remains Serbia’s highest priority, the Deputy Prime Minister said. According to him, the support of the EU in the realization of infrastructure projects is highly significant for the West Balkan region, with the goal of connecting the region in the sectors of transport and energy, thus contributing to being more attractive for investments. Dacic has greeted the announcement of the European Commission that in the period 2014-2020 one billion euro from the IPA funds will be used for the infrastructure projects in six beneficiary countries in the West Balkans, and the intention to attract the private capital by 2020 to enable the financing of the regional infrastructure projects worth at least 10 billion euro.