madam president in my view the report on serbia is excellent
i congratulate the rapporteur jelko kacin
it seems to me that serbia has finally made up its mind that it genuinely wants a european future for itself
the majority of the political elite believes that this is the most favourable option
this determination has to be seen in the light of the turbulence of the last two decades
serbia experienced the end of communism the collapse of yugoslavia the wars that ensued the rule of slobodan <unk> the bombing of nineteen ninety-nine burgeoning mafias and criminality violence refugees a depressing and traumatic history
the decision to opt for europe therefore is a considerable achievement and signals that serbia has become a factor of stability in the region
two major political problems remain the arrest and transfer of ratko <unk> to the hague and coming to terms with the independence of kosovo
both these point towards psychological barriers
<unk> has his protectors and the loss of kosovo is painful for a sizeable section of serbian society any loss of territory is painful
to these may be added several other areas that need attention notably the upgrading of public administration and of the administration of justice the establishment of market conditions and full openness towards serbia's past including opening up the archives
the auguries for serbia's road towards europe are reasonably good
there is a clear commitment in this direction
the tasks faced by the elite and by society are recognised and the technical preparations are going ahead
if all goes well serbia should receive the opinion this autumn and candidate status after that
the road to europe will not be easy but europe as a whole benefits from a stable democratic serbia
