EU intends to seal pact with Serbia before May elections

22/04/2008

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn indicated on Monday that Brussels wants to sign a key accord with Serbia before the country's May elections, but Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica re-iterated his opposition.

(Blic, B92 - 22/04/08; Reuters, DPA, Balkan Insight, Beta, B92, Serbian Government - 21/04/08)

"It is obviously not in the national interest of Serbia to sign an agreement that would tomorrow be interpreted as Serbia's signing off on an independent Kosovo," Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said. [Getty Images]

The EU is planning to sign a major pre-accession pact with Serbia before its May 11th elections in order to keep the country proceeding towards Union membership, a top Brussels official said on Monday (April 21st).

"We don't want Serbia to give up its European integration," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn told the German daily Die Welt. "The Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) would be a strong signal that the European Union is committed to Serbia's European future."

The accord, which carries economic and trade benefits for nations hoping to join the bloc, would put Serbia closer to formal recognition of its candidacy and then to membership talks.

As both sides initialled the SAA last November, EU officials told Belgrade that full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) remains key.

The Hague court is pressuring Serbia to hand over four fugitives, including former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic and his military commander, Ratko Mladic.

Nonetheless, most EU members advocate offering Serbia the SAA ahead of the May elections to strengthen its pro-European forces and to prevent nationalist parties, benefiting from discontent over Kosovo independence, from winning. Early parliamentary elections were called after the coalition government collapsed last month. It was split over whether Serbia should pursue closer EU ties following the recognition of Kosovo independence by the majority of EU members.

A recent survey indicated that the upcoming vote will be neck and neck. President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party (DS) and the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party (SRS) are each polling about 35%.

The DS supports signing the SAA, while the SRS and other nationalist parties, including outgoing Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia, view signing as tantamount to recognising Kosovo's independence.

That said, both sides could still seal the deal as early as April 29th during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.

However, Belgium and the Netherlands particularly resist signing the SAA as long as the fugitives remain free.

Citing sources in Brussels, Reuters suggested on Monday that the Dutch might accept the accord's conclusion now, if ultimate ratification depends on handing the men over later.

Kostunica, however, re-iterated his opposition, saying the pact undercuts Serbia's interests.

"Olli Rehn supports Kosovo's unilateral independence and supports signing the agreement," he said. "It is obviously not in Serbia's .. interest to sign an agreement that would tomorrow be interpreted as Serbia's signing off on an independent Kosovo."

Before a two-day visit to Belgrade, EU Regional Aid Commissioner Danuta Huebner warned on Monday that, without a signing, Serbia risks losing some of the 1 billion euros in aid the bloc has allocated until 2013.