Europe News

EU welcomes Serbia's pro-EU government

Jul 8, 2008, 10:41 GMT

Brussels - European Union officials on Tuesday hailed the formation of a new government in Serbia, which observers see as pro- European. 'I welcome the formation of a new government in Belgrade. 'I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and his colleagues. 'The EU expects the new government to push forward reforms and meet the necessary conditions for Serbia to move closer to the EU,' the bloc's foreign-policy chief, Javier Solana, said. Jose Manuel Barroso, the head of the European Commission, sent Cvetkovic a message 'warmly congratulating' him on his appointment and saying that he was 'encouraged' by the premier's pro-EU stance. But both officials warned Serbia that it would still have to meet the EU's strict criteria if it wanted to move closer to the bloc, including handing over key war-crimes suspects to international prosecutors. 'It is now up to Serbia to make the vision of its European future a practical reality. The EU will fully support Serbia in this endeavour,' Solana said. 'I would urge you to build on recent positive developments by taking the necessary steps to achieve full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia as rapidly as possible,' Barroso said.

Europe News

EU welcomes Serbia's pro-EU government

On the Web

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Latest Headlines in Europe

Older Talkback

Like M&C on Facebook

Viral Web

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print