Fulfilling conditions more important than deadlines for Serbia to join EU - Merkel
Record ID:
1432944
Fulfilling conditions more important than deadlines for Serbia to join EU - Merkel
- Title: Fulfilling conditions more important than deadlines for Serbia to join EU - Merkel
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: MERKEL AND BRNABIĆ ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "Sometimes things take a little longer than planned. There is no limit. We want to support (Serbia) in moving along. The momentum should be kept up and you heard with what kind of drive and dynamics Serbia is moving along economically and carrying out judicial reforms. It's clear that in the end, certain issues related to Kosovo need to be sorted out in order to join the European Union. There is a clear agenda." BRNABIC LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (German) GERMAN CHANCELLOR, ANGELA MERKEL, SAYING: "To be honest, I don't think much of setting timeframes now, despite the mention of the year 2025. For us it's very important that the candidate countries fulfil the requirements for an accession to be possible. Those requirements are very clear. Of course there are certain reforms within the European Union which still need to be carried out. But we can't make it dependent on that. If Serbia fulfils its requirements then the time has come to talk about an accession. I can't say which year exactly that will happen." PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) SERBIAN PRIME MINISTER, ANA BRNABIC, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL GERMAN TRANSLATION): "A few words regarding European integration: I have asked the Chancellor to keep supporting us towards a European integration because such is the strategic goal of the Republic of Serbia. To us, the European Union is above all a peace project. The Balkans have their complex side and their specifics. A long-term peace and long-term stability in the Balkans can only be achieved if the entire region is a part of the European Union. In that sense I believe the Balkans are also important for the European Union." BRNABIC'S HANDS BRNABIC AND MERKEL SHAKING HANDS
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 15:34
- Keywords: German Chancellor Angela Merkel Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic military honours Brexit
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003AX6NMM1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday (September 18) Germany supported Serbia's progress towards joining the European Union but fulfilling the conditions for membership was more important than setting timeframes.
Holding a joint news conference with Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Merkel said that Serbia was making progress in economic and judicial reforms, but that its unresolved relationship with Kosovo needed to be addressed.
Brnabic said Serbia viewed the EU as a peace project, and said long-term stability in the Balkans could only be achieved if the whole region joined the bloc.
EU officials have in the past said Serbia could join the bloc by 2025, but Merkel said she could not say exactly when Serbia would become a member.
The EU-sponsored dialogues between Belgrade and Pristina were halted last November when Kosovo introduced a 100% tax on goods produced in Serbia, pledging to remove it only when Belgrade recognises Kosovo as a sovereign state.
Majority-Albanian Kosovo declared independence in 2008, almost a decade after NATO air strikes wrested control of the territory away from Belgrade, ending a brutal counter-insurgency by Serbian security forces.
Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory and has blocked Pristina's membership in international organisations including Interpol and UNESCO. It has also asked some countries to revert their decision to recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state.
(Production: Oliver Barth, Fanny Brodersen, Michele Sani) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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