18.04.2011.
Interview of State Secretary Tanja Miscevic for "Dnevnik"
CANDIDACY FOR EU WITHOUT CONDITIONING, BUT WITH THE SERBIAN PROVERBIAL “BUT”
It is up to us whether we will fulfill the Action Plan which was made very clearly and which we adhere to in order to achieve our main goal, the status of candidates and open negotiations with Brussels for full membership of Serbia into the EU until the end of this year. Statements by European officials reiterating that this is quite possible are always heard as some sort of confirmation we got used to , however, we are now fully aware that at this moment the progress towards the EU is “in our hands" – as State Secretary of Ministry of Defence Tanja Miscevic, former Director of the Government Office for European Integration said in an interview for "Dnevnik", commenting on the last statement of the President Jose Manuel Barroso that "Serbia is in a position to move to the next stage of negotiations with the EU." Barroso said that the 2011 would be a year of opportunities and challenges for our country, while Viktor Orban Prime Minister of Hungary, which is currently chairing the EU, was decisive that “Serbia should be given candidate status and start membership negotiations as soon as possible."
Did the other countries striving to get the candidacy status receive such common messages, "you can", and with a “but” hanging in the air?
I do not see any "buts" because the process of integration of all countries is the same. Progress in the next steps of negotiation with the EU, depends on meeting all the requirements, required for a given stage, so the states were always informed whether there was any possibility for membership, candidacy, once the conditions have been met. So to me this is no different from what other countries have gone through, there are no conditions, no “buts’ but it is known that the eligibility depends on meeting requirements as a precondition to move into another phase. What are the key conditions?
- I do not think that there are any "key" but rather there is a list of priorities at the moment which need to be met in order to acquire the status of candidates, which have been recognized as top priorities and have been as such incorporated into the Action Plan and in the first place, of course, this entails the cooperation with the ICTY. But at the same level there is the fight against corruption, organized crime, the laws which need to be passed, especially on restitution, resolution of blank resignations, the issue of financing political parties. All topics are very well known to us and we are working on resolving them.
Can you, please, tell us which of the aforementioned conditions is the biggest challenge for Serbia: cracking down crime and corruption, financing of political parties or some other ...?
- Each condition is a challenge in itself, but what we can see that there is will for each of them to be resolved. We saw that Serbia had agreed with the views of the Venice Commission regarding possible solutions for the funding of parties, including, of course, the issue of blank resignations ... Certainly the most difficult thing is battling corruption which is where we should show good results, while the cooperation with the ICTY has been a sort of a stumbling block. I is no longer a matter of whether there is political will or not, it exists, but there remains the question of the locating arrest and extradition of the remaining two ICTY fugitives in order to prove our commitment to full cooperation.
Do you think that it is possible for the EU to introduce some international mechanisms that can control the funding of political parties, especially for the upcoming election campaign, as some claim?
- No. What I know that such mechanisms have not been used before, and that this would be an absolute novelty. I am not aware that the EU is even considering it.
In the stages to come, can we expect certain conditions regarding security structures?
- At this stage we are not interesting to the EU, but we have never been under any great pressure to adhere to European standards in this sector, because there are no firm standards regarding security in Europe. In terms of democratization and stable democratic institutions, the obligation of the Ministry of Defence was to establish a legal framework for democratic and civilian control of armed forces and all forces that fall under the security structures. This has been accomplished for which we were highly praised in the last report of the European Committee, also confirmed by the report of the European Parliament. The attitude of the Ministry of Defence is to help in all other areas where it is necessary to meet the requirements for European integrations, starting with battling organized crime and corruption to cooperation with the ICTY.
What is the module that the defense system has used for other sectors, given that it was the first to have undergone complete reform?
- We started real reforms back in 2003 -2004, and even more concretely since 2006, when the Ministry of Defense became a ministry of Republic of Serbia and when we started adopting the model for a modern European state. This decision only used the experiences of European armies, and transferred to our state. It turned out that if you accept a model that is the best, most efficient and most operative, you are bound to get praise for what you have accomplished, because your work meets the standards of Europe, which is a big plus for the general integration of the state.
Dragan Milivojevic
EVEN FATSER CHANGES TO COME
If only a part of the Action Plan for December is realized, would just getting the candidacy status without any fixed date for negotiations with the EU mean that we would get less money from the EU funds?
- Not only the funds. A fixed date for the start of negotiations is something that motivates, that makes the entire administration and all who are operationally responsible for the integration process, to delve in the whole process much deeper. And this is the right moment with no room to go back, and inertia is a motivating force which is good, why we haven’t made greater efforts in explaining the citizens. Inertia forces us to adopt and implement a wide range of higher standards, in many areas, once we have been given candidacy. This results in reforms in science, education, environmental protection, not only in economics and agriculture. This will further influence the democratization of the security sector, which so far has been under pressure from European integration. It is good as it not only leads Serbia towards EU membership but also contributes to an overall reform of the society which is something all citizens would benefit from. Not only the candidacy status, but a fixed date for negotiations would lead to a faster change in our lives.
What is the difference in the withdrawing money from European funds when we have a fixed date and without it?
- With the status of candidate we are open to all five elements of the IPA, not just the first two which are now available, but also those relating to infrastructure projects, rural development and environmental protection generally. Let me remind you it is not only about becoming a candidate but also about candidate having the appropriate system for the implementation, management and administration so we can withdraw money from the IPA funds. If Serbia gets a fixed date for negotiations then further requirements in the next stage of integration can be better planed.
