Varhelyi: Serbia to harmonize its policy with the EU, possible membership within five years

2024-05-13 21:01:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Varhelyi: Serbia to harmonize its policy with the EU, possible membership within

The Commissioner of the European Union for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said on Monday in Belgrade that Serbia, as a candidate country for membership in the European bloc, must harmonize its foreign policy with that of the European Union, improve democracy and the rule of law.

He has said that he hopes that Serbia and other countries in the region will be part of the EU until the end of the mandate of the new European Commission legislature, if they implement all the necessary reforms.

"It is clear that the door is open. The EU is ready to accept new members. Within five years, yes. It is completely possible", Varhelyi said on May 13, after a meeting with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?.

Discussions about Srebrenica

In the discussions with Vucic, the main topic was the EU Plan for Economic Growth in the Western Balkan countries, but Varhelyi also mentioned the resolution on genocide in Srebrenica, which is planned to be discussed at the United Nations.

"I do not agree at all with the stigmatization of the Serbian people when it comes to the resolution on Srebrenica. Collective guilt and collective punishment have never been part of our values. However, the culprits must be held responsible for what they have done", said Varhelyi.

In the final proposal for the resolution - to which Radio Free Europe had access - the UN decision "to declare July 11 as the International Day of Remembrance of the Genocide in Srebrenica in 1995, will be marked every year".

The UN, according to the text, "unreservedly condemns any denial of the genocide in Srebrenica as a historical fact and calls on member states to preserve the facts."

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague described the crime committed in Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 men and boys were killed, as genocide.

So far, more than 50 people have been sentenced to over 700 years in prison for genocide and other crimes in Srebrenica.

Vucic will not travel to Kotor

Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? has said that he will not participate in the next summit of the leaders of the Western Balkans and those of the European Union in Kotor, Montenegro, because the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the resolution in Srebrenica will most likely held on Wednesday.

"Tonight I travel to New York, because someone has to answer those who will accuse the Serbs of being people who commit genocide", declared Vucic.

He has said that the financial assistance of Brussels through the Growth Plan is important for Belgrade, and that he expects that Serbia will be part of the EU at the same time as the other countries of the Western Balkans, as well as Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova. .

Varhelyi, on the other hand, has said that he pushes forward the idea of ??the Western Balkans being integrated into the EU even before the region's full membership in the European bloc.

Serbia has been a candidate country for EU membership since 2012, while negotiations began in 2014.

As of 2021, it has not yet opened new chapters, with the aim of harmonizing laws and carrying out the necessary reforms.

In the last report of the European Commission on annual progress in Serbia, presented in November 2023, Serbia received poor evaluations for chapters 23 and 24, related to the rule of law.

Belgrade, likewise, has not imposed sanctions on Russia, for starting the war in Ukraine, despite the fact that Brussels is constantly asking for something like this.

Serbia's relations with Kosovo are considered key for the European path.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's citizenship - announced in February 2008 - therefore the two countries are negotiating in Brussels, with the mediation of the European Union, to normalize relations.

The parties have signed many agreements, but not all of them have been implemented./ Rel