Serbia now closer to the EU

Serbia now closer to the EU

2011-01-21 09:06:14 GMT+7 (ICT)

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Thursday announced that members of the Parliament (MEPs) have ratified the Stability and Association Agreement between the EU and Serbia.

In addressing the Parliament's plenary meeting in Strasbourg on behalf of the Hungarian Presidency, Enikő Győri, Minister of State for EU Affairs, stressed that the agreement is "an important stage in Serbia's development, and a milestone in the process towards a peaceful and fully integrated Europe."

Signed by the EU and Serbia in April 2008, the document opens a new chapter in the relationship between the community and the country in both political and economic terms.

Under the agreement, Serbia may join the EU's free trade zone and its bilateral relations will become tighter within five years, Győri explained. Due to the gradual approximation of Serbian and Community regulations, Serbia’s industrial and agricultural products will comply with EU standards and its enterprises will also enjoy the advantages of the Single Market by the end of the process.

"We all know that the European integration process offers many benefits for Serbia, but the country still has to perform a number of reforms," said Győri, adding that it should make headways in the public administration and the rule of law, the judicial reform, the fight against corruption and organized crime, and cooperation with the Hague-based International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Nevertheless, the Parliament's approval is only one pre-requisite for the agreement to take effect. There is also a need for ratification by member states.

Győri stated that the agreement has been endorsed by eight countries, including Hungary, since the process was launched in mid-2010, and she urged the other eighteen member states to back the proposal as soon as possible.

The Hungarian Presidency is ambitious to see the agreement coming to effect by the end of 2011 but no later than the beginning of 2012.

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