European Parliament has ratified the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) which paves the way for Serbia towards eventual EU membership.

By a wide margin, 612 to 38, European Parliament has ratified SAA and has adopted a new resolution on European integration of Serbia as well new demands.

The resolution expresses expectations that the Serbian Government will show more effort and achievs results with the Hague Tribunal demands, normalization of relations with Pristina, and correction of flaws in regard to the judicial reform.

An amendment was also enacted in which the parliament asks Serbia to start a dialogue with Kosovo Albanian separatists without any talks on the “status or division”.

A resolution also passed that condemns Serbia for issuing car plates for Kosovo residents because it “violates sovereignty” of Kosovo.

The Parliament also demands that Serbia “integrate” Serbs in Kosovo into Albanian separatist institutions that have been used to ethnically cleanse the Serbs and exterminate Serbian culture in Kosovo.

A motion in which Serbia is condemned for not sending a representative at the Nobel Prize ceremony last year also passed.

The European Parliament expresses satisfaction with Serbia’s good cooperation with its neighbors.

In addition to Spain, which was first to do so, the Agreement has been ratified by Malta, Bulgaria, Italy, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Luxemburg, Hungary, Austria and Cypress, while Germany and Greece are expected to join them soon.

The voting in the European Parliament was also attended by Serbian Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic.

Djelic said that Serbia’s key strategic goal is to obtain the EU member candidate status in 2011, and set a date for pre-accession negotiations in spring 2012.

January 19, 2011
SERBIANNA
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