Interview met Van Rompuy over de relatie tussen EU en de Balkan (en)
On the eve of his first visit to the Western Balkans this week, Herman Van Rompuy i, the President of the European Council i, gave two separate written interviews to Jutarnji list of Croatia and Dnevnik of Serbia, both newspapers belonging to WAZ Media Group.
Interview with Jutarnji list, by Augustin Palokaj:
This is your first visit to Croatia since you were elected the first President of the EU Council. What is the message that you will bring to Croatia, which is at the final stage of the EU accession process?
With this visit to Croatia and the region, I want underline my personal commitment to the integration of the region into the European Union. I very much welcome the decision at the Intergovernmental Conference last week to open the remaining three negotiating chapters. There is still important work to be done but there is no doubt that significant progress has been achieved.
You are the first head of an EU institution to visit Croatia after quite a few years. Was this a sign that the enlargement process became unpopular and less important than some other priorities in the EU?
The EU has reconfirmed its commitment to enlargement and the European perspective of the Western Balkans several times. If my visit is seen as a symbol of that commitment, I am happy with this. The European perspective for the region remains essential for the stability of the region and the aim is clearly to continue the EU integration process as expeditiously as possible.
The EU is committed and willing to work with the countries of the region to move forward in the reform process. We all want to see progress on the EU path. It is fundamental that all who aspire to join the EU will continue and intensify their efforts in meeting the established criteria.
Croatia's EU accession negotiations are going on much longer than was expected. Talks started five years ago and still no one in the EU wants to predict when they will end. What are your expectations about the possible day of Croatian EU entry?
Progress in European integration primarily depends on each candidate's own merit and performance. Herein lies the key. There has been significant progress just over the last weeks and months and if this pace can be kept up, there are good chances that Croatia can move forward swiftly. You are well placed to close all of your remaining chapters.
However, there are still areas where there is need to make significant progress. Chapter 23 on judiciary and fundamental rights remains a case in point. This is not the time to be complacent.
You have said that the Western Balkans region is very important for the European Union. But you decided not to take part in the first meeting of the leaders of the region in Brdo in Slovenia. Some believe that by doing this you supported the position of Serbia, which was the only country not to participate. What were the real reasons that you boycotted this gathering organised jointly by Slovenia and Croatia?
The region of Western Balkans is a key priority for the EU. Good neighbourly relations and functioning regional co-operation are of fundamental importance for the European perspective of the region. I have always welcomed all initiatives promoting regional co-operation in the Western Balkans and emphasised the importance of inclusiveness.
In this context, the Sarajevo conference organised by the Spanish Presidency to mark the 10th anniversary of the Zagreb summit serves as an outstanding example of commitment to regional co-operation and the principle of inclusiveness. I am pleased that with the active engagement of the Spanish Presidency a solution was found for all partners to participate. Let this be a good example for the future.
Interview with Dnevnik, by Zeljko Pantelic:
Serbian President Boris Tadic a few days ago in Istanbul asked the EU to tell the Western Balkan countries whether it wants them to join and whether the Union is ready to co-operate on a practical basis to help them meet the criteria for EU membership. What is your answer, as President of the European Council, to such a request?
The EU is unanimously and unambiguously supporting the EU perspective for the whole of the Western Balkans. This has been reiterated on numerous occasions and again recently at the Sarajevo conference. The Sarajevo meeting and the ensuing meeting of the EU Foreign Ministers provided an opportunity to send a strong message of support for the continuation of the enlargement process.
The Union is also ready to continue its work in assisting the countries of the region to move forward in the reform process. We all want to see progress on the EU path. However, the Western Balkans must also continue and intensify their efforts in meeting the established criteria.
If the EU on several occasions confirmed its commitment to enlargement in the Western Balkans, why is there still doubt over this in the region, even among its highest officials, such as the Serbian President?
There should be no doubts. As just mentioned, there is no ambiguity on this issue. This might be a question of wanting to move forward in the EU accession process even more rapidly.
Do you see any 'win-win' solution for Kosovo which will bring the EU, Serbia and Kosovo closer together despite the fact that for 22 EU countries Kosovo is no longer part of Serbia and for five it is?
All 27 EU Member States are committed to the European perspective of the Western Balkans region. In this context, and as a general principle, the EU is always encouraging dialogue as the only way to move things forward, and find practical solutions that will improve the daily lives of the people on the ground. Good neighbourly relations and functioning regional co-operation are of fundamental importance for the European perspective of the region. Both Pristina and Belgrade have everything to win in moving forward on this.
How big is the chance that, during the Belgian EU presidency, Serbia's application for EU membership will be forwarded to the Commission to give its 'avis'?
This is a question for the rotating [EU] Presidency to lead and the Member States to decide on. I am a supporter of the EU's enlargement message to the Western Balkans, and would like to see the whole region move forward. I will remain optimistic.
What is, in your view, the biggest obstacle to faster Serbian EU integration: the failure to arrest Ratko Mladic (a war crimes fugitive), its policy towards Kosovo, or the results so far of the fight against corruption and organised crime, plus the general level of the rule of law in the country?
There has always been a strong conditionality from the EU side, for the whole of Western Balkans, to fully co-operate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). This course is fundamental in order to complete the process of reconciliation in the region. The arrest and handing over of the remaining fugitives are crucial elements for stability and reconciliation.
The fight against organised crime and corruption, implementing necessary economic and political reforms and adhering to European standards in general is of course also essential in realising Serbia's European future. This work will be carried forward in partnership with the EU in the framework of the Stabilisation and Association Process.
As mentioned before, good neighbourly relations and functioning regional co-operation are of fundamental importance for the European perspective of the region. The EU is all about regional cooperation and I would encourage all capitals in the Western Balkans to address their differences in a European spirit.