On Friday, European leaders agreed to Serbia being a candidate for future EU membership. The significance of this achievement, and the difficult steps Serbia had to take to get here, should not be overlooked.
Serbia has come a long way in the last 20 years. Her EU aspirations have meant coming to terms with the role she played during the Yugoslav war – the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Serbia’s progress towards EU membership was made conditional on their cooperation with the UN court responsible for prosecuting war criminals – as a result we saw the arrests of the two remaining fugitives, Goran Hadzic and Ratko Mladic, indicted of appalling war crimes and who had been on the run for years. This was a seminal moment for justice, as well as a turning point in Serbia’s relationship with the EU.
Serbia’s EU ambitions have also meant taking a more constructive approach to Kosovo with whom relations have been fraught since Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Serbia entered into an EU-facilitated dialogue with Kosovo in February last year. Only a few years ago negotiations between the two were inconceivable. The EU-facilitated dialogue has yielded seven agreements and practical cooperation between the parties. Today, agreements benefit citizens, deliver stability and enable both countries to move closer to the EU. The EU collectively has made a significant impact to help bring peace and justice to the region.
Of course, Serbia still has a lot to do. The next step on Serbia’s EU path, the opening of accession negotiations, depends on further improvement in its relations with Kosovo – a priority from the UK perspective. And once accession negotiations begin, Serbia will need to work hard to meet the rigorous membership criteria. Tackling vested interests by fighting organized crime and corruption will be a particular challenge.
The road to EU membership is neither short nor easy. But Serbia has demonstrated its willingness to make that journey and this should be strongly encouraged. The EU is facing its own internal challenges but that should not distract us from the fact that EU membership is a force for stability, security and prosperity. I hope Serbia can continue its emergence from conflict and take the tough steps necessary to realise its EU ambitions. We shall continue to offer Serbia our help and support.
Remarks by President Van Rompuy (including Serbia’s candidate status) following the first session of the European Council can be found here.