EU membership could bring stability to Serbia; Ambassador Dusko Lopandic told FoNet following the presentation of his new book “The European Union and Serbia – New Time and New Environment” held at the EU Info Centre.

“I wanted to draw attention to the EU being not only an institution in crisis, but an organisation that has yielded rather impressive results in many sectors, highly relevant and important for our country as it can bring stability and include us in the EU-wide process of making decisions that affect us,” he said, adding that Serbia is in a way already a part of the EU, only an external one.

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“If you ask me how far is the EU membership, then we can juggle only with the years hinted at by EU representatives. We know that European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker mentioned 2025, meaning that the actual accession would probably occur a couple of years before that date,” Lopandic said.

Current Serbia’s perspective is much more tangible than it used to be a couple of years ago and we should keep in mind the tangible benefits EU membership can bring. We are joining the EU because it is a way to solve certain problems, Lopandic said during the presentation of the book published as part of the project “Europe for Me”.

EU Delegation to Serbia Representative Paul-Henri Presset said that Lopandic’s book reveals the way the EU has improved the lives of European citizens, adding that despite all the drawbacks, being outside of the EU could bring only uncertainty to Serbia.

“Critics describe the EU as undemocratic, but their views are often based on myths, which is why it is important to have a clear picture of EU’s top priorities, and this book paints exactly the picture we need and provides answers to questions about the membership,” Presset said.

President of the International Relations Forum within the European Movement in Serbia Jelica Minic said that Lopandic’s book is a kind of an introductory textbook about the EU for both beginners and those who have some idea about it but wish to deepen their knowledge.

“Lopandic is a witness who analyses the process from within, giving a comprehensive overview of various topics,” she said.

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President of the Research Forum of the European Movement Vladimir Medjak said that the book provided an excellent overview of those aspects of the EU that must not be overlooked.

“The book reminds us that the EU is a peace project, describing how a group of people with a vision managed to prevent another tragedy from happening by launching a project. Also, it is a valuable source of historical data compiled by someone who has had first-hand experience with a number of events. The history lesson from the book teaches us that reconciliation in Europe is indeed possible, and that it will be proven again once the Western Balkans joins the EU,” Medjak said.