Date: 2018-11-28
Mr President, on behalf of the Austrian Presidency, it is my great pleasure to participate in your discussion on the series of annual reports from the Commission, starting with the one on Serbia. As you know, this year the Western Balkans have been in the spotlight of the European Union, highlighted in particular by the EU leaders meeting with the Western Balkans leaders in Sofia in May and the adoption of the Council conclusions on Enlargement and Stabilisation and Association Process in June. During our Presidency, we have continued to pursue the Union's engagement with the region, aiming to achieve further progress in the accession negotiations. This is one of the priorities of our Presidency. Serbia has made important progress since the last country report by the Commission in 2016 and accession negotiations have advanced at a steady pace, as has already been mentioned by the rapporteur. We hope to keep up the momentum in Serbia's accession negotiations under our Presidency by opening further negotiation chapters. In the June Council conclusions, we welcomed the reaffirmed commitment of the Serbian Government to EU integration as its strategic objective. This also needs to be further demonstrated by Serbia's commitment to reforms, because progress on the rule of law and fundamental rights chapters, as well as on the normalisation of Serbia's relations with Kosovo, as set out in the negotiation framework, is essential and will continue to determine the pace of accession negotiations overall. Many areas which require further reform efforts are rightly spelt out in your draft resolution. The implementation of interim benchmarks for Chapters 23 and 24 and of the respective action plans should continue to guide the reform process as the rule of law continues to be at the heart of the enlargement process. As you do in your draft resolution, we consider that Serbia needs to significantly step up its reform efforts in this area and, in particular, to ensure the independence and overall efficiency of the judicial system. Special focus should be put on tangible results and a sustainable track record, notably as regards the fight against corruption, organised crime and money laundering. The lack of progress in the area of freedom of expression raises increasing concerns. We strongly believe that the authorities should guarantee a safe climate conducive to the unhindered exercise of freedom of expression and the independence of the media as a matter of priority. Serbia also needs to pay particular attention to full respect for fundamental rights, including the protection of the most vulnerable groups, as well as the non-discriminatory treatment of national minorities throughout Serbia. Guaranteeing the rule of law and fundamental rights would also contribute to improving the business environment in Serbia and underpin the current positive economic developments and the continuous progress made in this area. The normalisation of relations with Kosovo continues to be essential for the overall pace of negotiations. The Council will continue to monitor closely Serbia's engagement towards visible and sustainable progress here so that Serbia and Kosovo can continue on their respective European paths. We continue to call on Serbia to progressively align with EU common foreign and security policy, in line with the negotiation framework. Serbia should also refrain from diverging from the EU common visa policy as Serbia's conclusion of visa liberalisation agreements with certain third countries has raised real concerns. We note that Serbia has, in the meantime, revoked again its visa liberalisation regime with Iran. We stress the importance of regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations. We encourage Serbia to continue sustained efforts to strengthen good neighbourly relations and to resolve outstanding bilateral issues. In this context, actions undermining regional cooperation are not helpful. We regret the introduction of tariffs by Kosovo on products originating from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is an urgent need for calm and de-escalation in the interest of the whole region. We welcome Commissioner Hahn's offer of help to work on rapid practical solutions to the various trade issues at hand. I will conclude my intervention by again welcoming the continued progress in Serbia's EU accession negotiations and the continued good cooperation with the EU and within the region. Finally, let me also recall our appreciation for the constructive contribution of Parliament, and in particular of your rapporteur, David McAllister, to advance Serbia's accession process to the EU. I can assure you that we pay particular attention to the views of Parliament in this regard.