Head of EU Delegation to Serbia Ambassador Michael Davenport and Head of Serbia EU Negotiating Team Tanja Miscevic made a presentation of the second, amended edition of brochure “Negotiating Chapters – 35 Steps towards EU” at the National Library of Serbia. The brochure is jointly published by EU Info Centre and Serbian EU Negotiating Team.
Addressing the audience, mostly comprised of students, Ambassador Davenport said that Serbia’s strategic goal was EU membership and that, following the final screening, that is analytical examination of the acquis, it was up to European Commission to write a report on the process.
“We are now in a stage which requires fulfilment of one of the basic criteria – implementation of Brussels Agreement,” Davenport said. He reminded that European Commission last year suggested opening of Chapter 32 dealing with financial control, but there was not a consensus among EU Member States.
Tanja Miscevic, speaking about the brochure, said that Chapters 23 and 24 were “the backbone of negotiating process,” because they dealt with rule of law and rule of law was what made one country a truly modern, democratic and stable society.
She said that the issue of enlargement fatigue keeps being brought up and added that migrant crisis could be yet another EU crisis that could lead, as indicated by the EU history to date, to deeper integration. “Such was the case when European Economic Community, Single European Act or Mastricht Agreement were created,” Miscevic said.
She stressed that European Union “is not a goal but means” for a country to reform and become the way we want it to be.
The brochure, whose first edition was among the most popular EU Info Centre’s publications, has now been amended, providing contents of each of the chapters and overview of benefits brought to citizens. Thanks to cooperation among EU Delegation, Info Centre and National Library of Serbia, the brochure has been distributed to all libraries in the country and is available in Hall of Dom omladine as well as online on EU Delegation (http://euinfo.rs/files/Publikacije-srp/35_koraka_za_web.pdf) and EU Info Centre’s web-pages (http://euinfo.rs/publikacije/srbija-i-eu/#35k).
The brochure is also available in the Digital National Library, at the following site: www.digitalna.nb.rs
