Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-10-24-Speech-3-304"
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"en.20071024.39.3-304"2
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"Today I am speaking as a rapporteur, but at the same time as a Liberal Democrat, as a Slovene, as a former Yugoslav and as a European. Just 15 years ago the country in which I was born disintegrated in a number of bloody wars which lasted for almost an entire decade.
The citizens of Serbia are entitled to know the truth about the recent policies of war committed in their name. It is also for this reason that I support the recent initiative by the Special Prosecutor to uncover the political motives behind the assassination of Prime Minister Djindjić. It is for that reason too that I regret the leniency of the sentences delivered by the Serbian war crimes court to four members of the Scorpions for the execution of six Muslims from Srebrenica.
There is tremendous economic and cultural potential in Serbia, and a vast area of talented individuals in all spheres of life. The new Government has proved itself to have a number of dynamic and ambitious ministers. There is no doubt that Serbia possesses the administrative and institutional capacity to deal professionally with further EU membership negotiations.
Progress has been made in a number of areas in recent months, for instance in the conclusion of the technical talks on the SAA negotiations, ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, CEFTA and the election of an Ombudsman, a Governor of the Bank of Serbia, a Commissioner for Public Information and the members of the Council of the State Audit Institution.
Disappointingly, however, there has been little tangible progress on the nomination of judges to the Constitutional Court. In addition, the public denigration of civil society actors who criticise the Government or try to draw attention to sensitive issues, such as war crimes, continues. In this regard, I condemn the recent events in Novi Sad, where a neo-Nazi organisation attacked a peaceful gathering of individuals who had gathered for an anti-fascist demonstration. It is imperative that the relevant authorities find the perpetrators and thoroughly investigate the crime.
At the same time, I recognise that the EU’s strict visa regime, which prevents ordinary Serbs from meeting with their counterparts in the European Union, acts as a brake on Serbia’s democratic progress, and contributes to xenophobia and nationalism.
I welcome the agreements which have been negotiated. While these mark an important first step, the ultimate goal must be to liberalise travel for all citizens of the region. Do you know that only one tenth of Serbs possess a passport? We have to give something concrete to the rest of the population. I urge the Council to ensure that the agreements enter into force at the beginning of next year, as well as calling on the Council also to establish a concrete roadmap for visa liberalisation.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my assistants, fellow Members, the Committee on Foreign Affairs secretariat, the political groups, the Commission, the Serbian Mission to the EU and the Serbian Office for European Integration.
In concluding my intervention, I would like to add a short personal note. As one of the very few MEPs born in the Western Balkans, I am very proud to have worked as rapporteur. My country, Slovenia, became an EU member not because it was easy, but because it was difficult. We managed, just like Serbian politicians, intellectuals and business people will also manage, when they decide to do so. I call on Serbia and the Serbian people to wake up now, to start helping themselves, to help their neighbours, to help the entire region and to join us. Do it. You are strong enough. Together we will manage.
Today many countries of that region, including Serbia, are still faced with the destructive effects of the conflict. To these fragile and young democracies membership of the European Union is a powerful incentive for further democratisation. The European Union, which these countries wish to join as soon as possible, is based on common values and standards, one of the most important of which is the rule of law.
However, in the case of the Balkan countries the issue is not only reform of the judicial system but also full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague.
Serbia has so far failed to honour its domestic and international duty to arrest four remaining fugitive war crime indictees, including Mladić and Karadžić, who stand accused of orchestrating the slaughter of nearly 8 000 civilians in Srebrenica. Anybody who kills a single human being commits a crime, but those who commit genocide represent an international and political challenge.
I visited Srebrenica before preparing this report. I believe in Serbian self-respect. That is why I insist that the Serbian state has to prove it is cooperating with the ICTY. In May, a new pro-European government took office, with ICTY cooperation as one of its key objectives. That is a development which I warmly welcome. I also welcome the fact that the Government moved against, arrested and delivered two of the six most wanted fugitives, Tolimir and Djordjevic.
Those arrests demonstrate that Serbia is able to locate and arrest the remaining war fugitives. As Chief Prosecutor Del Ponte has stated, the principal obstacle is not ability, but rather translating ability into tangible results. This is why the EU cannot afford to waive its conditionality at this crucial juncture.
As the tensions surrounding Kosovo’s future status mount, it would be wrong to think that caving in on EU conditionality and bending over backwards to make concessions to Belgrade will serve either the EU or Serbia in the long run. Turning a blind eye to war criminals may suit modern day
but it will not contribute to long-term peace or regional stability.
It is often repeated that Serbia is the key to stability in the region, but politicians in Belgrade are wrong to assume that this will mean preferential treatment for Serbia. Serbia would do well to use its abundant talents and potential to act as an example to its neighbours in the region, rather than leaving them to languish because of Serbian recalcitrance.
It is true that the EU will not be complete until the Balkans form part of the Union, but this cannot be at any price, and certainly not at the price of undermining international law and ignoring fundamental European values."@en1
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