Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Bozidar Djelic said today that Serbia will carry out all reforms envisaged by the Action plan for acquiring the EU candidate status and announced a true reform momentum for the upcoming weeks and months.

Djelic voiced hope in the meeting with European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fule that by December Serbia will have fulfilled all the requirements for the EU candidacy and the start of negotiations on the membership. He added that in this process Serbia does not expect any privileges.

Serbia’s aim is well-known – to obtain the candidacy status in December and the date for the beginning of negotiations on the EU membership, the Deputy Prime Minister underlined.

He and Fule also spoke about the Danube strategy in which Serbia is also participating and which should be adopted in mid-April at the meeting of the EU Council of Ministers in Luxembourg.

Djelic told the Commissioner that Belgrade will keep up the efforts to prevent Serbia from becoming a source of false asylum seekers, noting that over the last several months important results were achieved in this respect.

He announced that a conference on social inclusion of the Roma will be held on 23 June in Belgrade.

Fule stressed that the pace of the EU integration process depends on Serbia, reiterating that EU members will demand concrete results of cooperation with the Hague tribunal from authorities in Belgrade.

During the meeting, they also discussed reforms, primarily in the judiciary, fight against corruption and adoption of certain laws, such as the law on financing political parties, as well as looked at the necessity of concrete cooperation with the Hague tribunal.

Fule welcomed the beginning of talks between Belgrade and Pristina, adding that the dialogue commenced in pragmatic and constructive atmosphere and that talks should yield practical results to facilitate the lives of Kosovo residents.

The Commissioner said he is pleased that despite economic difficulties, Serbia and the EU have maintained good trade exchange, announcing that the EU will continue endorsing Belgrade financially.