J. Joksimović: European Parliament called for the continuation of reforms and opening of chapters

March 28 2019 | Belgrade

J. Joksimović: European Parliament called for the continuation of reforms and opening of chapters

At the Stabilisation and Association Parliamentary Committee session held in Strasbourg, Pristina has been invited to abolish the imposed taxes on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina without further delay, stated Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, adding that regret over the current stalemate in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has also been expressed.

Joksimović has said that the Committee welcomed Belgrade’s continuous commitment to the dialogue on the normalisation of those relations.

According to her, the boycott of plenary sessions by a part of the opposition and the protests have been noted, while the violent incursion into the public broadcasting service has been condemned with the message that the parliament is the place for debating political differences.

Joksimović has stated that all parliamentary parties are invited to engage in political dialogue so as to ensure the functioning of the parliament.

In this regard, the Parliamentary Committee has adopted the text of the Declaration consolidated between the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the European Parliament. Furthermore, Serbia’s progress in negotiations with the EU, relations between Serbia and the EU, and the situation regarding the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue have been discussed at the meeting.

The adopted Declaration and Recommendations have welcomed Serbia’s progress in accession negotiations and expressed support to the 2025 membership perspective based on continuous efforts in implementing reforms, stated Minister Joksimović.

She has said that these documents emphasise the importance of the enlargement process, inviting the European Union to remain committed to the enlargement policy.

She has added that the European Commission and the EU Council have been invited to support the opening of technically prepared chapters, while Serbia has been invited to continue achieving concrete and sustainable progress in chapters related to the rule of law (23 and 24) and the process of normalisation of relations between Belgrade and Pristina (35).

Joksimović has said that regret has also been expressed over the current stalemate in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue caused by Pristina’s decision to impose 100% taxes on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Pristina has been invited to abolish the taxes without further delay, said Joksimović.

She has added that there has been a call for achieving progress in the field of media freedom and that the importance of preventing potential threats, intimidations, harassment, hate speech and physical violence against journalist has been stressed.

She has stated that the Committee noted allegations on the existence of self-censorship in the media and that it also welcomed the completion of the work on the first draft of the Media Strategy, which was said to have been prepared in an inclusive way.

Joksimović has emphasised that, as regards other matters, progress in minority protection, economic reforms, constitutional amendments, Serbia’s participation in EU missions in the field of common foreign and security policy and the implementation of IPA II financial assistance have been commended. Support has been expressed to the Berlin Process and all initiatives that have arisen from it.

With regard to the fight against corruption, Joksimović has said that Serbia has been invited to intensify its efforts in the prevention of corruption and to fully implement GRECO’s recommendations.

She has added that the importance of full implementation of the action plan agreed with FATF has also been underlined.

Joksimović has stressed that those documents show the importance of the parliamentary dimension of the accession process and express concern for the frequent use of urgent procedure in the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.

She has stated that cooperation with the National Convention has been welcomed, as it emphasises that continuous cooperation with the civil society strengthens the parliament’s role.

Joksimović has underlined that the Declaration and Recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee emphasise the need for full implementation of the OSCE/ODIHR observation mission’s recommendations and note certain progress in their fulfilling.

Joksimović has said that the Declaration and Recommendations acknowledge the importance of the civil society as a significant component of every democratic system that is recognised and treated as such.

The documents reiterated invitation to Serbia to gradually align its foreign policy with the EU common foreign and security policy and expressed expectation that the level of alignment will increase, concluded Joksimović.

Source: Tanjug