The Dutch parliament's European Affairs Committee has decided to give a green light for the ratification of Serbia's Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU, MP Henk Jan Ormel confirmed Thursday.

Ormel expressed great satisfaction that the committee decided to start the ratification process, but noted that Serbia needed to continue acting responsibly toward the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) if it wanted to see the process completed.

I am very satisfied with today's decision. What I tried and failed to do two weeks ago, the European Affairs Committee accepted today, Tanjug was told by Ormel, who proposed that the Committee start the ratification process. The next step is submitting a written proposal to the government, which the parliament will do after September 15, because it is about to break for the summer, he specified.

Afterwards, the Dutch government also needs to give a written response, and then the proposal can be put on the parliament's agenda. Ornel said he did not except the process would be completed before December.

In the meantime, Serbia should be careful not to send any negative signals and above all, it needs to continue cooperating with the ICTY. In this sense, the next report from Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz needs to be positive, so we do not provide arguments to those who oppose ratification, the Dutch MP said.

He said the proposal passed the committee by a very narrow majority.

The chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Committee for European Integration, Laslo Varga, said that the decision of the Dutch Parliament is very important, recollecting that Holland was the most rigorous country regarding Serbia's European integration.

The Serbian deputy prime minister in charge of European integration, Bozidar Djelic, also expressed satisfaction with the decision of the Dutch Parliament, adding that he believed this is "just the beginning of the clear and unambiguous support Holland will provide for Serbia in the forthcoming years on its road to the EU."

Government evaluates positively Holland’s green light to ratification of SAA

Director of the Serbian government’s Office of Media Relations Milivoje Mihajlovic stated today that the Serbian government adopted at its session the Strategy and policy of development of industry in Serbia for the period 2011-2020.

Mihajlovic told a press conference held after the government session that this strategy envisages revitalisation, reconstructing, re-engineering, modernisation of export areas and development of competitiveness of the Serbian industry.

The government passed the Bill on ratification of agreement between the Serbian government and the Council of Ministers of Albania on readmission of persons who reside illegally, with the protocol on the implementation of the agreement, he said.

He underlined that the intention of some UNESCO members to declare cultural heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church and monuments of the Serbian people in Kosovo-Metohija Kosovo's heritage is only one of the failed attempts of forgery of history and their appropriation.

These monuments are the property of all people who live in the southern Serbian province, but also of people all over Serbia and Europe, Mihajlovic stated and specified that this refers to approximately 1,500 Christian monuments in the area.

For the Serbian government the most important is urgent reconstruction of destroyed monuments of culture and of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo-Metohija, with its participation in the process.

Serbian government’s Coordinator for Public Relations Slobodan Homen said that the government has welcomed the start of the ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) of Serbia with the EU in the parliament of Holland.

Homen voiced hope that the ratification will be completed and noted that at this moment the Serbian government is concentrated on the fulfilment of obligations from the Action plan in the process of European integration.

Homen also expressed his hope that the prosecution will make a report on controversial privatisations in next few days, and confirmed that in this respect there is communication between the domestic prosecution and the EU.

The government decided today to approve funds to the Anti-Corruption Agency for the purchase of 1,200-square metre office space, which will be sufficient for its work in next five years.