I think Belgrade – Pristina agreement is possible, EU’s Sem Fabrizi says

Speaking to Political Sciences Faculty (FPN) students in Belgrade, Fabrizi said he “is optimistic concerning an accomplishment of the legally binding agreement between Belgrade and Pristina and added that a universal stand among all EU member states regarding the issue is for the two sides’ full normalisation of relations.

Addressing the debate “Serbia’s European Integration ten years after applying for the membership,” organised by the FPN and the European Movement in Serbia, Fabrizi said that “the accession process means the implementation of necessary reforms and Serbia has to do more in the rule of law” area.

Commenting on 2025 as a possible date for Serbia’s full membership, Fabrizi said that the country “should not put the speed above the quality of the process and that all depend on the work done while being on a halt does not get a country any closer to the EU.”

He added that the entry to the EU “means the entry of the whole state and society, not of Government.”\

Fabrizi reiterated the EU stand that Serbia would have to adjust its foreign policy with that of EU before its full membership.

The remark made by many EU officials concerns Serbia’s rejection to introduce the EU imposed sanctions against Russia for its annexation of Crimea and support to the rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Fabrizi added that the EU had donated almost three billion Euros to Serbia in the last 15 years.

Suzana Grubjesic, the Secretary-General of the European Movement in Serbia, said that the 2025 deadline for the EU membership was not realistic if the opening of the negotiating chapters were going on at same the pace as in the past.

She said the highest level of support to Serbia’s EU membership was after the assassination of the then Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic in 2003, and also in 2009, adding the visa liberation profoundly influenced the mood among the population.