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| SERBIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION 30/04/2008 |
| (2008-04-30) |
| Last updated: 2008-05-02 15:17 EET |
On Tuesday, the European Union and Serbia signed a stabilization and association agreement in Luxembourg. Commentators agree that this move is meant to increase the chances of pro-European politicians in Serbia in the parliamentary elections of May the 11th, expected to be dominated by a new anti-West nationalistic surge. After the independence of the former Serb province of Kosovo with a majority Albanian population was recognized by most EU member states, opinion polls indicate a grow in voting intentions in favor of the isolationist parties run by prime minister Vojislav Kostunita and the former presidential candidate Tomislav Nikolici.
At an institutional level, the agreement signed with the European Union is an important step towards Serbia’s integration into the community structures. At an economic and political level, pro-western president Boris Tadici underlined that the Serb people will soon start to feel the advantages of coming closer to Europe. Moreover, he said the document allows his country to protect its identity and integrity. The media note, however, that the agreement will not come into effect immediately.
Following objections by Holland and Belgium, the provisions of the accord will only be applied when Serbia is able to demonstrate that it has taken the necessary steps to ensure that all suspects indicted for war crimes who are still at large are in custody. The cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in the Hague is a difficult test for all governments of former Yugoslav states that faced inter-ethnic conflicts in the 1990s.
The Croats, the Bosnians and the Kosovars each handed over to the Hague people who were seen as heroes at home but who were considered criminals as far as international law is concerned. The Serbs also delivered the former strong man in Belgrade, Slobodan Milosevici, but are still expected to track and hand over the military and political leaders of the Serbs in Bosnia, Radovan Karadzici and Radko Mladici, who are allegedly responsible for terrible massacres.
On Romania’s behalf, the new Foreign Minister in Bucharest Lazar Comanescu hailed the agreement signed by Serbia with the European Union, recalling that his country had been a constant supporter of this idea. Concerned with the fate of many ethnic Romanian communities in Serbia, and sensitive to the aspirations of a neighbor with whom it has had no major conflicts in history, Romania has tried to keep a cool head over the whole Serb issue.
It has not recognized Kosovo’s independence, but, through president Traian Basescu, it recalled the Serbs that they solve their problems easier from within the European Union than from outside it.
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