Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-01-18-Speech-2-012-000"
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"en.20110118.3.2-012-000"2
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"Madam President, in my view, the report on Serbia is excellent. I congratulate the rapporteur, Jelko Kacin.
It seems to me that Serbia has finally made up its mind that it genuinely wants a European future for itself. The majority of the political elite believes that this is the most favourable option. This determination has to be seen in the light of the turbulence of the last two decades. Serbia experienced the end of communism, the collapse of Yugoslavia, the wars that ensued, the rule of Slobodan Milošević, the bombing of 1999, burgeoning mafias and criminality, violence, refugees – a depressing and traumatic history. The decision to opt for Europe, therefore, is a considerable achievement and signals that Serbia has become a factor of stability in the region.
Two major political problems remain: the arrest and transfer of Ratko Mladić to The Hague, and coming to terms with the independence of Kosovo. Both these point towards psychological barriers. Mladić has his protectors, and the loss of Kosovo is painful for a sizeable section of Serbian society; any loss of territory is painful. To these may be added several other areas that need attention, notably, the upgrading of public administration and of the administration of justice, the establishment of market conditions and full openness towards Serbia’s past, including opening up the archives.
The auguries for Serbia’s road towards Europe are reasonably good. There is a clear commitment in this direction. The tasks faced by the elite and by society are recognised and the technical preparations are going ahead. If all goes well, Serbia should receive the opinion this autumn and candidate status after that. The road to Europe will not be easy, but Europe as a whole benefits from a stable, democratic Serbia."@en1
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