The European Union is counting on Serbia to join its ranks in the future, but Belgrade and Pristina must normalize their relations, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after meeting President Aleksandar Vučić during her official visit to Serbia.
“Enlargement is at the top of the EU agenda. We are living in a time of global turbulence; we must strengthen the unity and security of the continent. We want Serbia to join the EU. Serbia is already one of the most advanced countries on the path to the EU.” she says.
Von der Leyen then stressed the need to normalize relations with Pristina.
“The main thing is that these parties engage and move towards normalization of relations. Pristina must draft the statute of the ZSO (Association of Serbian Municipalities), and Serbia must implement the existing agreements and not waste time,” she said.
Asked about the statement she made in Pristina on “de facto” recognition, she replied that it was about the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement.
“This includes recognition of certain documents by Serbia. This is a necessary precondition for the European path. The membership process is based on merit; some countries are progressing quickly, others more slowly, and we believe it is right that such a process be based on merit,” she added.
Meanwhile, after the last meeting in Brussels, Vucic told his audience in Serbia that he would never recognize Kosovo, directly or indirectly, which is in contradiction with the ongoing dialogue process.
In terms of support that Serbia could provide, von der Leyen said that when the support plan is completed, the GDP of the Western Balkans could increase by 10%.
“If we open the single market of the European Union and have a common regional market for the Western Balkans, we need equal rules and reforms are necessary for this,” she noted, adding that if reforms are implemented, the EU will provide investments.
“For Serbia, for example, this would mean improving the business environment, working in the energy sector we already work in, focusing our efforts on education and training people for the jobs of tomorrow. These are just some of the areas where we could invest and reform together,” she added.
After their discussion, Vucic said their conversation topics were important because they covered investments and political issues.
“We talked about the situation in the region. I repeat everything that was said in Brussels: Serbia is committed to preserving peace and stability and knows its obligations,” Vučić said.
According to him, Serbia will fulfill its obligations according to the agreed terms and it is clear that it cannot do something contrary to the Constitution.
“We know what Serbia agreed to. With this in mind, we will act responsibly in fulfilling our obligations,” Vučić added.
(Jelena Nikolić | Euractiv.rs)