Serbian President Boris Tadic stated that as of the next budget decade, Serbia will be annually receiving a grant worth 60 million euros which will be a concrete benefit upon the candidate status is granted to our country.

At the gathering of the Democratic Party prepared to mark Serbia’s candidacy, Tadic said that resources from the EU are not the most important thing, but, as he pointed out, identity of the Serbian people.

The Serbian President said that the greatest burden fell on the citizens, and that they are the ones who earned that candidate status, as well as that chances are much bigger than yesterday.

European reforms to improve life of Serbian citizens

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic saidat a meeting of the Council for European Integration that awarding Serbia candidate status for EU membership is a great incentive to continue the path of European integration, bearing in mind that this changes citizens' lives for the better.

Cvetkovic, who chaired the meeting, said that reforms that are necessary for becoming a candidate were not easy, but they have improved Serbia and brought benefits to citizens.

He said that what follows receiving the status of a candidate is a joint work of the government, the parliament and a large number of organisations, civil society and all citizens of Serbia.

This road has not always been easy, but it is a great pleasure now to look four years back and see the results of that work, he said.

Cvetkovic said that the Serbian businessmen saved €1 billion due to the fact that they do not have to pay customs duties after the launch of the Interim Trade Agreement, while citizens save €200 million a year thanks to the abolition of visas.

Approaching the EU is important for attracting foreign investment, said the Prime Minister and recalled that thanks to them 2011 saw the opening of 25,000 jobs.

In July 2008, Serbia had no contractual relationship with the EU, while today it stands as a candidate for EU membership, he said.

Cvetkovic said that the National Programme for EU Integration was adopted in 2008 with the aim of making a strategic plan for accession to the EU and added that in the period from July 2008 to December 2011 this document was fulfilled 80% and 92% in terms of legislation adopted.

Important steps were taken towards establishing a market economy and macro economic stability despite the global economic crisis, he noted.

He said that in its opinion on Serbia, the European Commission (EC) pointed to the progress our country has made, and added that there is a possibility that Serbia, in the medium term, fulfils the obligations required for membership in most areas.

Serbian President Boris Tadic reiterated that with acquiring the candidate status for EU membership the image of Serbia is changing and that it is primarily the achievement of its citizens.

All governments since 5 October contributed to reforms and this government was faced with great challenges, taking into account the economic environment in Europe and the world, which has changed substantially, Tadic highlighted.

With the candidate status we confirm that we are on a good path, and the essential strategic achievement will be reached once we get the date of beginning of accession negotiations, he said and added that this is expected by the year-end.

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic underlined that Serbia got EU candidate status thanks to consistent policy of Serbia’s state leadership, while at the same time protecting its national interest.

Director of the Serbian government's European Integration Office Milica Delevic said Friday that the candidate status was not the final step, but rather the beginning of a serious work for Serbia.

She pointed that before getting the date for the start of accession negotiations, Serbia should first be positively evaluated by the European Commission (EC) concerning further progress in normalizing the relations with Pristina.

In an interview with Tanjug, Delevic said that the improvement in the relations with Pristina meant that progress had to be achieved in the part of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue relevant to the field of telecommunications, energy and giving support to the EULEX mission in Kosovo so it could be able to fulfill its mandate unhindered.

Of course, she added, what we do at home is also important, and this refers to the continuation of the reform process, the implementation of that which has been agreed, the implementation of laws that have been passed, but also the preparation for future steps in the further building up of the existing structures and the preparation of negotiating teams for the talks.

Asked whether it was realistic to expect the start of negotiations by the end of the current year, Delevic said that “it is more important what we can do as early as tomorrow than to think about what might happen later this year.”

This means that the EC really wants to see the progress, Delevic underscored.