Serbia “supports Croatia’s EU accession”

Serbian Deputy PM Božidar Đelić stated in Zagreb on Friday that Serbia supports Croatia’s accession in the European union in 2012.

It is seen as a signal of further enlargement of the union and an incentive to the region countries to persist on their path to the EU, he explained.

Đelić said this after his meeting with Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Neven Mimica and president of the national committee for the talks between Croatia and the EU Vesna Pusić, at which it was concluded that the relations between Serbia and Croatia are the key to the stability in the region.

Đelić gave a positive evaluation of a visit by a Croatian parliamentary delegation to the Serbian parliament, scheduled for early June.

“The experience and mechanisms the Croatian parliament had established several years ago will be an example for our parliamentarians,” said Đelić, adding that the two countries will become stronger partners, which implies the most difficult issues of financial support to Croatia and Serbia, as well as to other Western Balkan countries.

It is important, said Đelić, that the union countries help the region countries prepare for accession in the EU in order to become competitive instead of becoming a burden to the EU.

“We discussed ways of orientation towards the EU’s financial assistance, which is not so prospective at the time of a general economic crisis, but we might expect greater European assistance by making our projects concrete,” said Mimica.

The parliaments in Belgrade and Zagreb are the driving engines of a better atmosphere in bilateral relations, which is very important for the European concept because the relations between Croatia and Serbia are the key to stability in the region, said Mimica.

“It is equally important to Croatia to complete its process of moving closer to the EU soon as it is to have our neighbors do the same,” underscored Mimica.

Đelić is scheduled to meet today with chief negotiator of Croatia and the EU Vladimir Drobnjak and Foreign Minister Gordan Jandroković. He will subsequently take part, together with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, in a meeting of the region premiers, and will meet with Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.