The Chairman of the European Integrations Committee of the National Assembly, Laszlo Varga talked today to the Chairman of the European Affairs Committee of the German Parliament, Gunther Krichbaum.

Committee Chairman Krichbaum stated that his visit sends the message that Germany supports Serbia’s approach to the European Union and is interested to continue the dialogue between the two parliaments, particularly between the two competent parliamentary committees. Serbia’s European perspective is clear and it is only a matter of time when it shall join the European family, Krichbaum pointed out, adding that an unconditional implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the EU is an important step towards it. Concerning it, he expressed his belief that Serbia has the administrative capacities to meet the necessary conditions. Talking about legislative activity, he emphasised the need to modify the Serbian Criminal Code and pass an immigration law. Krichbaum also said that Germany supports the liberalisation of the visa regime for Serbia. However, he does not deem it justified to have said liberalisation include the citizens living in Kosovo.

Committee Chairman Laszlo Varga stressed that Serbia is making an effort to fulfill the political conditions necessary to activate the SAA and harmonise domestic legislation with that of the European Union. With this in mind, thanks to the intensive work of the National Assembly in the past year, over 200 laws had been adopted, mostly from the so-called European agenda. About 60 laws are currently in assembly procedure, and modifications to the Serbian Criminal Code are among them. However, Serbia’s success on the road of Euro-integrations largely depends on the support of key European states such as Germany, said the Chairman of the European Integrations Committee.

Varga emphasised that visa liberalisation and receiving the status of EU membership candidate by the end of the year would help win Serbia’s European aspirations more wide-spread public support.

During the meeting, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic greeted German European Affairs Committee Chairman Krichbaum and expressed her wish to intensify cooperation between the two parliaments on all levels.