Eurasia Press & News
The Dutch government still believes that Serbia’s progress en route to the EU should hinge on full cooperation with the Hague Tribunal. However, it allows for the possibility of a greenlight for Serbia’s EU membership candidacy request at an upcoming meeting of the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg.
The above stems from a preparatory letter from acting Dutch foreign minister Maxim Verhagen ahead of a debate in the Dutch Parliament’s Committee on European Affairs, scheduled for Wednesday.
“The government thinks that any further steps in Serbia’s EU accession must be in accordance with full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia,” the document, a copy of which was made available to Beta news agency, says.
Verhagen, however, stressed that the European Commission and EU’s remaining 26 member states “desire a positive decision” on Serbia’s candidacy in “light of Serbia’s constructive behavior” with regard to the adoption of a resolution on Kosovo by the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 9.
“Whether progress in the talks between Serbia and Kosovo, mentioned in the resolution, should figure as a factor when weighing the candidacy request will be subsequently decided by the Dutch government, Verhagen said.
