EU tells Serbia it will face scrutiny on everything it does

Dec 9, 2010, 16:03 GMT

Brussels - Serbia will face European Union scrutiny on everything it does from now on, the Balkan country was told on Thursday, a day after the EU chided it for boycotting the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo.

The EU's executive arm, the European Commission, is currently examining whether Serbia has come far enough to deserve official candidate status to the bloc, with a response due in late 2011.

'The months to come will be decisive for Serbia's advance towards its European Union membership. We'll look with a magnifying glass at every action Serbia takes,' EU enlargement commissioner Stefan Fule said in Brussels after talks with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic.

Fule reiterated his disappointment with Belgrade's decision on the Nobel ceremony - widely seen as a thank you for Beijing's support of Serbia in its campaign against Kosovo's secession.

The commission 'indeed regrets' Serbia's move, Fule said.

'The respect of human rights is a founding principle of the European Union and European Union member states have agreed to attend this ceremony at ambassadorial level.

'As an applicant country, Serbia is expected to embrace European values and coordinate with European diplomatic missions in third countries,' the commissioner added.

Serbia was also told to toe the EU line on Kosovo, with Fule calling for cooperation talks between Belgrade and Pristina to start as soon as possible.

The EU has repeatedly castigated Belgrade for refusing to talk to Kosovo officials, as it has never accepted the declaration of independence of its former province.

In line with that stance, Serbian authorities urged the Serbian minority living in Kosovo to boycott elections scheduled for Sunday.

Cvetkovic said Serbia was advancing with political and legal reforms and would present answers to a detailed commission questionnaire on its preparedness for EU candidacy on January 31.

'I believe I will be a more frequent traveller to Brussels next year,' the Serbian premier quipped.

As well as pursuing administrative reforms and tackling crime and corruption, Serbia is expected to hand over suspected war criminals such as Ratko Mladic before getting ahead on its EU path.

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