At the end of her visit to Belgrade EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said today that the message she brought to Serbia was that the EU was committed to European integration of Serbia.

She thanked the Prime Minister Vucic for the hospitality, saying that she feels as if she were a part of the region.

FoNet

According to her the EU is leaving its door fully opened to Serbia and is looking forward to welcoming it.

“We recognise that Serbia has chosen the European integration path and we believe and we see that this goes beyond some of the party lines and that it is in the interest of the Serbian people,” Mogherini said during the press conference held jointly with the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.

Prime Minister Vucic said that “the EU is the most important destination” and that “regional stability is our biggest challenge” adding that “we are sometimes bothered by the fact that, compared to other countries, Serbia has to meet different standards.”

Vucic said that Serbia will remain firmly on the EU path and recalled that the EU accounted for 60 percent of Serbia’s overall foreign trade, adding that there is room to improve the ties even further.

“I am grateful for the opening of chapters 20 and 26,” the Prime Minister said.

Before meeting with the Prime Minister, Mogherini also met with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, the Speaker of the National Assembly Maja Gojkovic and representatives of civil society and opposition. She also gave a speech at the National Assembly. As she addressed the Parliament, she was booed by a number of MPs who oppose Serbia’s European integration.

Commenting on the behaviour of certain opposition MPs during her address at the Assembly, she said that they were politically entitled to do so and that they were expressing their views of the path Serbia had taken, adding that she has no intention of meddling in Serbia’s internal debates.  “As an Italian politician, having been in a complicated national Parliament myself, I know that this is a matter of politics,” Mogherini said.

FoNet

Mogherini: EU remains incomplete until Serbia and other Western Balkans countries become a part of European family

“It is always an honour to address a parliament and the message I brought to Serbia is that its future is with the EU,” Federica Mogherini said as she addressed Serbian MPs. “Over the past couple of years Serbia has been pursuing a clear course, it is clearly moving towards the EU,” Mogherini said. “Once opened, the chapters are being transposed into concrete measures which bring concrete benefits to people. You have taken some bold and decisive steps on your country’s development path.”

Mogherini said that the EU “cares about Serbia, its present and its future, because they are interrelated to the present and the future of the EU. Not only is the EU door fully open to Serbia, but we are looking forward to welcoming you in the European family of nations,” Mogherini said.

EU High Representative said the EU would remain incomplete until Serbia and other Western Balkans countries join the European family, adding that Serbia and the EU are sharing the same challenges.

“Reality is telling us that we need each other. This is even more obvious today in these delicate times for Europe and the region,” Mogherini said.

FoNet

The European official said that Serbia was key to regional stability and that the lack of peace and reconciliation would jeopardize progress in other areas. She stressed that “the impressive progress” made by Belgrade and the Western Balkans was jeopardized by the growing sense of insecurity both globally and in the region.

She reminded that the EU was the biggest trading partner of Serbia and a major investor, adding that closer cooperation is in the interest of both Serbia and the EU.

Commenting on the upcoming presidential election Mogherini said: “You are now starting a new election campaign. You will be given a chance to choose the way forward. The European Union is looking forward to working with the new President and the Government on the EU path. The Parliament has a key role in this process, it is a key institution,” Mogherini said, adding that she hoped the presidential election campaign would be run smoothly.