Brnabic meets with EU's von Beckerath

BELGRADE - Serbia remains a credible partner of the EU, and full EU membership remains Serbia's strategic goal, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said at a meeting with the new head of the EU Delegation to Belgrade, Andreas von Beckerath, on Tuesday.

Brnabic noted that reforms in the fields of rule of law and the electoral process remained the parliament's focus, especially in the context of implementing ODIHR recommendations and electing the members of the Regulatory Authority on Electronic Media (REM), and that these efforts were expected to help to open Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks, an official statement said.

She also voiced concern over a lack of adequate reaction to a rhetoric of hatred in Croatia, an EU member state, and noted that such actions were starkly contrary to the values promoted and safeguarded by the EU.

At the same time, Brnabic told von Beckerath that, following cases of intimidation of families of politicians, as well as journalists and various officials by protesters, she had officially written to all competent EU institutions and representatives to inform them of such cases and expected a response.

She said the upcoming period was especially important for rebuilding the citizens' trust in Serbia's European perspective, and expressed the confidence the cooperation with von Beckerath would be successful, and wished him much success in his new tenure.

Von Beckerath said he was pleased to be meeting with Brnabic for the first time and noted that he looked forward to cooperating closely with her and with Serbian MPs.

He reiterated the EU's strong commitment to Serbia's European path, noting the significance of expediting reforms for the benefit of all citizens, especially when it comes to the REM, the electoral framework, rule of law and goodneighbourly relations.

He also noted the significance of refraining from rhetoric that could lead to an escalation of tensions in the region and within the country, the statement said.