"British-German proposal didn't meet with approval"

Source: Tanjug

BELGRADE -- Slovak FM Miroslav Lajcak says a proposal put forward by Britain and Germany concerning Serbia's EU membership talks "was not met with approval in the EU."

Miroslav Lajcak and Julian Braithwaite (Beta)

The two countries want "the chapter on Kosovo" be opened at the very beginning of entry talks, Tanjug reported.
Lajcak, speaking during Belgrade Security Forum, underscored that "every proposal should be adopted by consensus."

So, one should not overdramatize these voices coming from some member states, Lajcak said.

He said this replying to the question concerning the British-German "non paper", which, on their initiative, should be included in a negotiating framework which is still being considered in Brussels.

"The proposal on the normalization (of relations between Belgrade and Priština) came too early, and no issue can have a privileged position in comparison to others during membership negotiations," Lajcak said.

The Belgrade-based daily Večernje Novosti reported on Friday that Germany drew up a list of requirements for the EU's negotiating framework for Serbia, which is backed by British officials. Among other things, Germany requests that Chapters 23 and 24 dealing with judiciary and security be opened first, as well as Chapter 35 which will address Kosovo, and that all three chapters be closed last.

Lajcak, who is on a two-day visit to Belgrade, also addressed the issue of visas for Serbian citizens traveling to EU countries to say that "there is no room for panic over the recent adoption of the mechanism that would allow suspension of the visa-free regime for the Western Balkan countries."

"This mechanism is rather an action measure for the EU or a certain member state in case of a dramatic increase of the number of people pouring in from this region and in case of impression that the visa-free regime is being abused," Lajcak told RTS.

Lajcak said that the introduction of the visa suspension regime is a difficult process and such a decision cannot be made by one country.

"Such a decision requires a qualified majority of all members," he said.

The European Parliament adopted on September 12 a mechanism which makes it possible to reintroduce visas for the countries that are a source of bogus asylum seekers which puts Serbia on the list.

"No freezing"

Miroslav Lajcak stated on Friday that it is crucial for the Western Balkan countries on the EU pathways to show political will and determination to solve problems just as Serbia did.

He said at the Belgrade Security Forum that Serbia is facing the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, Macedonia has a name dispute, Bosnia-Herzegovina has the Sejdić-Finci issue, but only Serbia has showed willingness to address issues and make progress.

Asked whether some countries have a clearer European perspective while some others do not such as Kosovo bearing in mind that it is not recognized by five EU member states, Lajcak said that "the Kosovo case is specific but that it is important to underline that there is a clear perspective for the entire Balkans including Kosovo."

He underlined that the period of romanticism in terms of the EU enlargement is over, stressing that everyone is speaking about the crisis and for the reason less attention and enthusiasm is showed towards the Western Balkans.

However, this does not mean that the EU is not committed to the enlargement in the Balkans, but that now it is more up to the countries in the region to show to their citizens why it is good to be admitted to the EU.

"The best way is to show political maturity as Belgrade did in the talks with Priština," Lajcak said.

He insisted that there was "no freezing of the EU integration process."

Lajcak, who spoke in the panel dubbed “State Building and European Integration - Mutually Reinforcing or Contradicting Processes”, underlined that the EU attractiveness is decreasing and that now the EU has to prove that it is the best model for the integration of states.

He said that there is no uniform stance on the issue since there is a constant fight for balance between the political accession and technical criteria.