Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-18-Speech-2-009-000"
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"en.20110118.3.2-009-000"2
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"Madam President, it is a great privilege and honour for me to return to the European Parliament in my new capacity as the representative of the Hungarian rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. I hope, honourable Members, that you will consider me a former Member of this House, and as a guarantee that the Hungarian Presidency will be a Parliament-friendly Presidency.
I look forward to working with you all during the forthcoming five-and-a-half months of this Presidency, with great expectations. I shall now use my mother tongue.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure and honour for me to take part in this debate after which Parliament will vote on the approval of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement signed with the Republic of Serbia. I should also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the rapporteur of the European Parliament, Mr Jelko Kacin, who drafted an excellent report on the subject, and to warmly welcome the resolution on Serbia’s European integration process. Similarly to other countries in the region, the prospect of European membership has benefited Serbia as well, and the country has made considerable progress in this direction over recent years. In this context, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement is an important step forward for Serbia on the road to the European Union.
The agreement strengthens the already close ties between the European Union and Serbia, and creates a contractual relationship between the two parties. The agreement establishes a new framework for political dialogue. It creates a free trade area and strengthens bilateral economic relations, through which it is intended to bring major economic benefits to Serbia. The agreement encourages the reform processes which will contribute to the growth of the Serbian economy and help Serbia develop a fully functioning market economy. Furthermore, the agreement lays the foundations for increased cooperation in numerous areas to evolve between the European Union and Serbia in the future, last but not least, in the fight against organised crime and illegal cross-border trade, as well as with regard to improving current environmental protection regulations.
The Council started the ratification process for the agreement on 14 June 2010. To date, eleven Member States, including, of course, Hungary, have endorsed the agreement through their parliaments. We are very confident that all the Member States will ratify it within a short period of time. The Council would welcome the Stabilisation and Association Agreement coming into force by the end of 2011, but by early 2012 at the latest. This would mean that Serbia would enter into an ambitious contractual relationship with the European Union at precisely the time when it starts making more intensive preparations for accession. Your votes will do even more to give prominence to and further this process, due to the unanimous support that was expressed by all political forces at the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on 1 December. Serbia expressed its commitment to the European Union by its request for accession submitted in December 2009. In October last year, the Council asked the Commission to submit its opinion. This can be expected in the second half of 2011.
We are all aware that the European integration process has numerous advantages for Serbia. At the same time, Serbia still needs to make major reforms. These include further endeavours in the fields of public administration and the rule of law, justice reform, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
As the report submitted by Mr Kacin also states, the integration process advances on the basis of the progress made in this area. I welcome the fact that many results have already been achieved. At the same time, I should like to take this opportunity to point out that last year, Serbia took historic steps towards peace with its neighbours in the region. I also welcome Serbia’s close cooperation with the European Union in the summer of 2010 and the resultant UN resolution that opened the way to dialogue between Belgrade and Priština. The Council fully supports High Representative Ashton in the work she has done in this area. This is a major challenge, but the possibility of creating a dialogue offers both Kosovo and Serbia the chance of coming closer to the European Union.
Lastly, allow me to share a concluding thought with you. I am convinced that the European Union must maintain the credibility of the enlargement process. The means of doing this are in our hands. I believe that if the accession negotiations with Croatia can be concluded successfully during the Hungarian Presidency, this will give a very positive sign to Serbia as well that the process is alive, and that the Balkan countries have a place in the family of the nations of the European Union.
Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, 2011 will be an important year for Serbia, which will bring both challenges and opportunities. I welcome the opportunity which this new agreement gives Serbia so that we may build together a joint future in a peaceful Europe."@en1
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