Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic considers as the greatest successes of the coalition government the obtaining of visa free regime with the EU and the recommendation for Serbia to become a candidate for EU membership.

Confident about the current government's success, Cvetkovic has said for the Sunday edition of the Belgrade-based daily Press that the current government is approaching not the end of its mandate but only half of its term.

He pointed out that the government had been working under extremely difficult circumstances during the great economic crisis and that it had managed to meet its promises when it comes to European integration.

“Two moments in the work of this government will be remembered in history - the moment when the citizens got the opportunity to travel freely without visas, thus gaining back their reputation and dignity, and of course, the candidacy,” he said.

Cvetkovic believes that the 2011 Progress Report of the European Commission (EC) for Serbia, together with a positive recommendation for Serbia's candidacy for EU membership, represents a certificate of the Serbian government's achievements when it comes to European integration and commitment to reforms.

“A huge progress has been made, and the EC report clearly notes that the legal, social and economic system has been almost completely changed. The fact that Brussels has not imposed any condition on us concerning the situation in these areas indicates that the report is very good for Serbia. We only have the Kosovo issue left to resolve, but the problem was created neither by this nor the previous government, as it is a process dragged on for decades,” he said.

He stressed that the European integration of Serbia is also the solution for Kosovo.

Cvetkovic said that Kosovo needed a just long-term sustainable solution acceptable to all, noting that the current government had put emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy.

He said it was good that the EC had recommended that the EU membership talks for Serbia should begin as soon as the country made progress in its dialogue with Pristina, as well as that all additional requirements for the date of the start of membership talks were status neutral and that there was no pressure on Serbia to recognize Kosovo.

The prime minister does not expect new elections before the spring 2012 and does not regard the government as a team approaching the end of its mandate.

“This is not the end of the current government's mandate, this government has reached only its half of its term,” said Cvetkovic.

The prime minister said he was confident that the current or a similar coalition would continue the work that had been started.