At the European Integrations Committee sitting held on 24 May, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European integration Bozidar Djelic presented the Report on the Implementation of the National Programme for Integration of the Republic of Serbia into the European Union for the period January - March 2010.

Deputy Prime Minister Djelic expressed his belief that, based on The Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Brammertz’s Report to the UN Security Council, which is expected to be positive, the EU Council of Ministers would by the middle of June rule on the beginning of the ratification process of the Stabilisation and Accession Agreement between Serbia and EU. The beginning of ratification is important as it sends a clear political signal that Serbia in on its way to Europe, Djelic stressed repeating that Serbia aims to become an EU membership candidate by the middle of 2011, and commence negotiations on EU accession by the middle of 2012.

Djelic deemed justified the Serbian Government’s decision on the unilateral implementation of the Transitional Trade Agreement with EU passed by the end of 2008. Along with the completion of the European Commission’s questionnaire, that is one of the two conditions for gaining EU membership candidacy status. In the sphere of sector policies, Serbia actively participates in the drafting of the Danube strategy and transport agreement for South Eastern Europe, said the Deputy Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Djelic stressed that the implementation of the National Programme was less successful in the first quarter, listing the fact that a public debate on several important laws is currently underway as a reason for it, as well as the fact that the period was dedicated to setting the grounds for Serbia’s further progress on the road to European integration.

Milica Delevic, European Integration Office Director, stressed that the drafting of regulations has slightly slowed down in the first quarter, but that the harmonisation with European Union legal heritage that should be completed by the end of 2012, shall continue in the second quarter when the Government is to propose 14 laws and more than 60 by-laws.

The Committee members asked why the Government had come to a standstill in its preparation of laws and other regulations, since no document is currently in Assembly procedure.

The sitting was chaired by Laszlo Varga, Committee Chairman.