Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-28-Speech-3-331"
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"en.20050928.25.3-331"2
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".
The future of Serbia and Montenegro is within the European family, as I was indeed able to communicate when I recently visited the Western Balkans and had the opportunity to meet with the authorities in that country.
It follows that the participation of all ethnic groups in the democratic process is crucial to that country moving towards a European future. However, we do not recognise that the situation in Serbia is as bleak as the question implies.
While the political situations in Kosovo and Serbia are not directly analogous, we judge that there are opportunities for minorities in Serbia to enjoy full involvement in parliamentary politics.
One of the first measures taken by the new Serbian Parliament in early 2004 was to abolish the threshold for parliamentary representation – that is, 5% – in the case of parties representing ethnic minorities. Therefore at future general elections minorities are also likely to be represented in the parliament.
The Serbian local election law stipulates a 3% threshold but interethnic relation councils are also set up in ethnically mixed municipalities and comprise members of all ethnic communities, accounting for more than 1% of the municipal population.
In addition, questions concerning national minorities can be brought to the attention of the central government of Serbia, notably through the National Council of Ethnic Minorities, established in 2004. That is a forum in which all relevant issues for minorities can be discussed.
We hope to open stabilisation and association agreement negotiations with Serbia and Montenegro during our Presidency. To conclude this agreement Belgrade will need to meet a range of conditions set down by the European Union. To eventually join the European Union Belgrade will need to have met all the Copenhagen political criteria.
The honourable Member is right to highlight the need for democratic standards in Serbia to be at the heart of this process."@en1
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