The Chairman of the National Assembly, Predrag Markovic, today met the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Edward McMillan-Scott, and discussed the process of accelerating European integrations.

Admitting that this week was a difficult one for Serbia, Mr McMillan-Scott offered reassurance and support for Serbia’s efforts to join the European Union, adding his expectations that Croatia and Serbia would be the leaders of the integration process in the Western Balkans. Mr McMillan-Scott relayed the invitation of the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borell, for Mr Markovic to pay an official visit to the European Parliament to discuss new possibilities for including the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia into existing modes of co-operation between parliaments of European countries. At the same time, Mr McMillan-Scott showed great interest in the issue of returning nationalised property to its previous owners, especially as Mr Markovic had, in his capacity as Acting President of the Republic of Serbia, issued a Recommendation to local authorities to do all in their power to start the process of returning such property even before the appropriate legislation was passed.

Mr Markovic acquainted Mr McMillan-Scott with the fact that a majority consensus regarding integration into the EU exists in Serbia, as well as that such a consensus required much effort to maintain. As far as personal and parliamentary activities in returning nationalised property are concerned, Mr Markovic repeated his promise made to the Standing Conference of Cities and Municipalities – that a Bill on Returning Property to Local Self-Government Bodies would be put to the vote at the National Assembly in October or November 2005.

Mr Markovic also expressed his personal conviction that it would be good to have a referendum on independence held in Montenegro as soon as possible, in order to avoid an adverse impact on Serbia’s priority – quick accession to the European Union. Mr Markovic also underlined that Serbia would not impose any solution on Montenegro, as well as that Serbia was open to any type of institutional co-operation to create conditions to accelerate the process of European integration of Serbia and Montenegro.