Accession of Serbia to the European Union
Encyclopedia
The accession of Serbia to the European Union is the process of the Republic of Serbia being admitted into the framework of the European Union
as a full-fledged member state.
Serbia officially applied for European Union
membership on 22 December 2009. The European Commission recommended making it an official candidate on 12 October 2011.
Despite its setbacks in the political field, on 7 December 2009 the EU unfroze the trade agreement with Serbia and the Schengen countries dropped the visa requirement for Serbian citizens on 19 December 2009.
The government of Serbia has set a goal for EU accession in 2014, as per the Papandreou plan - Agenda 2014. European Commission
Vice President Jacques Barrot
seems to back this initiative, predicting Serbia's EU accession within 5 to 7 years following its formal application. Following stalled talks with Serbia, the European Union in October 2010 is said to be willing to move accession talks forward.
On 7 November 2007, Serbia initialed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, i.e. agreed on the final version of the text to which no or little changes are to be made, which is the step immediately preceding the official signing that was expected to take place in 2008. This was a milestone in Serbia's accession negotiations and was executed following the advice of chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte
, who advised the EU that the country was complying adequately with the tribunal but Ratko Mladić
must be in The Hague
prior to any official signing being able to take place. Mladić was subsequently arrested on 26 May 2011, and has since been extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
to stand trial. On 20 July, Goran Hadžić
became the last indicted fugitive to be arrested. As such, Serbia now intends to request full candidate status in December 2011.
region should not be tied with the EU negotiations.
Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on 29 April 2008. Vojislav Koštunica
, Serbian Prime Minister at the time, said on 1 May that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed. But one day later, on 2 May 2008, he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
's agreement" and "the Tadić
-Đelić SAA signature". After the Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
, a new parliamentary majority and government was formed and the SAA opposition was left without political power. The new Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Cvetkovic
, announced “One of the first moves of the new government will be to submit the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union to the parliament for ratification” As of January 2009 the Serbian government has started to implement its obligations under the agreement unilaterally. The effects remain to be evaluated by the European Commission.
According to a survey by the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, , support for accession among Serbians was 71 percent. However, that support has rapidly dropped, falling to around 60% in late 2010 and 42.4% in April 2011.
's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY), and the object of that obstacle and condition is the extradition of indicted Ratko Mladić
and Goran Hadžić
for crimes against humanity, the last two persons sought by the ICTY. Ratko Mladić was captured successfully on May 26th 2011 and Goran Hadžić on July 20th 2011.
A strong opponent of Serbia's signing and ratification of the SAA
is the Netherlands, which stated that it will not put the SAA in force until Ratko Mladic is in ICTY custody. On Sept 15, 2008, the Netherlands froze the trade-related part of the SAA with Serbia.
Serbia and the EU were at odds over implementation of the EU's EULEX mission to Kosovo. The EU wants to implement its mission in Kosovo according to Martti Ahtisaari
’s Kosovo status proposal, but Serbia wants EULEX to be first approved by the UN Security Council in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
. This has subsequently occurred after the UN Chancellor and Serbian government have reached a 5-point plan, after which the UNSC has approved the EULEX mission, which functioned under the mandate of the UNMIK.On May 19. 2011 during his official visit in Serbia Jose Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission
said that recognition of Kosovo is not a pre-condition for Serbia EU accession.
The signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement was opposed by the Governments of the Netherlands
and Belgium
while the Government of Spain
lobbied on behalf of Serbia.
has been considering enlargement in the Balkans
since at least the late 1990s. The negotiations became serious after Serbia began the reform process after the fall of the Milošević
regime in 2000, back then as part of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro
when the EU officially declared that the Balkan states are potential candidates for membership, confirmed in 2003.
Negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement started in November 2005.
On 3 May 2006, the European Union suspended SAA talks with Serbia over its failure to arrest Ratko Mladić, stating that Serbia failed to fulfill its commitment to fully co-operate with International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
. This slowed the pace of Serbia's EU entry and the reform process in Serbia. In July 2006, an action plan for the arrest of Ratko Mladić was issued by the government, aimed to locate and bring the former general to justice, which is expected to improve relations with EU. In May 2007, Serbian parties reached an agreement on a new government, and placed President Boris Tadić
as head of the newly created National Security Council. Within weeks of the Council's establishment, Serbian officials made two key arrests of indicted war criminals. As a result, on 13 June 2007, the European Union decided to reopen negotiations. On 21 July 2008, Radovan Karadžić
was arrested. On 26 May 2011 Mladić was arrested.
On 8 November 2007, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić and the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn
initialed in Brussels the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the European Union.
Olli Rehn said that the EU decision to initial the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia was the result of improved cooperation with the ICTY, as reported by the chief prosecutor of this Tribunal, Carla Del Ponte
.
Rehn underlined that full cooperation of Belgrade with the ICTY remains a precondition for signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which was initialed two years after the launching of the first negotiation round. On 16 January 2008 the Netherlands
and Belgium
confirmed that their countries would not sign the SAA (signatures are needed from all EU member states) until Serbia complied fully with the ICTY. On 14 January ICTY prosecutor Serge Brammertz
confirmed that there was no change and Serbia was still not fully cooperating.
Following this agreement, the EU plans to grant candidate status to Serbia as early as 2009, contingent on its full cooperation with the Hague tribunal.
. These events heavily influenced the Serbian political landscape. The central topic on which the coalition partners diverged was Serbia's EU accession.
On 4 April 2008, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
, supported by Velimir Ilić
, Minister of Infrastructure, stated that EU membership is no longer on the agenda for Serbia. Koštunica said that before EU accession continuation Serbia and EU must discuss the matter of borders and Serbia's territorial integrity. He said that Serbia must by no means sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
. He referred to the agreement as "Solana
's agreement".
At the same time President Boris Tadić
said that the Vienna Convention allows him to sign the agreement and that he will sign it if it is offered. Božidar Đelić, Deputy Prime Minister, has been previously authorised by the Government to sign the agreement and is still willing to do so.
Deputy Prime Minister, Božidar Đelić signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on 29 April 2008. The ceremony in Luxembourg
was attended by President Boris Tadić
and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić
.
On 1 May Koštunica said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed but one day later on 2 May 2008 he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
's agreement" and "the Tadić
-Đelić SAA signature".
After the Serbian parliamentary election of 2008
, a new parliamentary majority and government was formed, and the SAA opposition was left without political power. A new Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Cvetkovic
announced "One of the first moves of the new government will be to submit the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union to the parliament for ratification". On 9 September 2008, a Parliament of Serbia have ratified the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The European Commission (EC) welcomes the ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) by the Serbian parliament.
On 15 September 2008, the Netherlands froze the trade related part of a pre-accession deal (SAA) with Serbia.
On 16 October 2008, the Serbian government unilaterally decided to begin implementing the Interim Trade agreement with the EU starting 1 January 2009.
1997: Regional Approach. The EU Council of Ministers establishes political and economic conditionality for the development of bilateral relations.
1999: The EU proposes the new Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) for five countries of Southeastern Europe, including Serbia.
2000 Oct: Fall of the Milosevic regime.
2000 Nov: Serbia to benefit from Autonomous Trade Preferences from the EU.
2001: First year of the new CARDS programme specifically designed for the SAP countries.
2001 Jun: Feira European Council states that all the SAP countries are "potential candidates" for EU membership.
2001 Jul: Start of the EU-FRY Consultative Task Force.
2002 Mar: Signature of the Belgrade Agreement on a State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
2003 Jun: At Thessaloniki
Summit, the SAP
is confirmed as the EU policy for the Western Balkans. The EU perspective for these countries is confirmed.
2003 Jul: EU Enhanced Permanent Dialogue with Serbia and Montenegro replaces the format of the Consultative Task Force
2004 Jun: Council decision on the European Partnership for Serbia and Montenegro, updated in January 2006.
2004 Oct: Council conclusions open up a process for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
2005 Oct: Negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement are launched.
2006-May-3: SAA negotiations called off due to lack of progress on cooperation with the ICTY.
2006-May-21: Montenegro declares independence.
2006-Jun-15: The Government of Serbia officially recognises Montenegro as an independent state.
2006 Jun: Following the declaration of independence of Montenegro
, Serbia becomes the legal successor to the State Union.
2006 Oct: Parliament of Serbia adopts a new Constitution, which is confirmed by referendum.
2007-June-13: SAA negotiations with Serbia resumed, following a clear commitment by the country to achieve full cooperation with the ICTY.
2007-Nov-01: Serbia's SAA is initialed.
2008-Jan-01: Entry into force of the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement between Serbia and the EU.
2008-Feb-17: Assembly of Kosovo
declares independence.
2008-Feb-18: Council of the EU - Decision on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the European Partnership with Serbia including Kosovo.
2008-Apr-29: Serbia's SAA and Interim Agreement (IA) are signed in Luxembourg.
2008-May-07: Commissioner Barrot hands over the Road Map on Visa Liberalisation, set up with the aim of achieving a visa-free regime for Serbian citizens wishing to travel to Schengen countries.
2008-July-21: War crime indictee Radovan Karadzic is arrested.
2008-Sep-09: SAA and IA ratified by National Assembly of Serbia
.
2008-Sep-15: Netherlands
freezes SAA and trade part of SAA.
2008-Oct-16: Serbian government unilaterally decided to begin with implementation of trade part of Interim Trade agreement with EU starting 1 January 2009.
2009-Jan-01: Serbia implements Interim Trade Agreement with the EU.
2009-Nov-30: European Commission decides to put Serbia on White Schengen list.
2009-Dec-07: European Commission decides to implement Interim Trade agreement with Serbia.
2009-Dec-19: Visa-free regime for Serbia is put into force.
2009-Dec-22: Serbia officially applies for membership in the European Union.
2010-Feb-01: Interim agreement entry into force.
2010-Jun-14: European Commission decides to start ratification of SAA
.
2010-Jun-21: Spain ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Jul-02: Malta ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Jul-16: Bulgaria ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Aug-19: Estonia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Sep-09: Slovakia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Oct-25: Council of the EU forwards Serbia's application for EU membership to the European commission.
2010-Nov-16: Hungary ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Nov-24: European Commission presents Legislative questionnaire to applicant; the questionnaire contains 2,483 questions and subquestions.
2010-Nov-26: Cyprus ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Dec-07: Slovenia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-06: Italy ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-13: Austria ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-19: European Parliament ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-21: Luxembourg ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-26: Greece ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-28: Czech Republic ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-31: Serbia responds to EU questionnaire.
2011-Feb-10: Germany ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Mar-01: United Kingdom ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Mar-03: Denmark ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Mar-04: Portugal ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Apr-15: Sweden ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-May-26: War fugitive Ratko Mladić arrested in Lazarevo in northern Serbia.
2011-May-30: Latvia ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-May-31: Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladić is extradited to the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
2011-July-20: War fugitive Goran Hadžić
, the last fugitive indicted by the ICTY, is arrested, signaling the final hurdle to Serbia's candidate status.
2011-July-22: Former Serbian army chief Goran Hadžić
is extradited to the UN's International Criminal Tribunal.
2011-Sep-29: Ireland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Oct-12: European Commission has recommended that Serbia be granted an official EU candidate status
2011-Oct-21: Finland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Oct-27: Poland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Nov-24: France ratifies Serbia's SAA
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
as a full-fledged member state.
Serbia officially applied for European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
membership on 22 December 2009. The European Commission recommended making it an official candidate on 12 October 2011.
Despite its setbacks in the political field, on 7 December 2009 the EU unfroze the trade agreement with Serbia and the Schengen countries dropped the visa requirement for Serbian citizens on 19 December 2009.
The government of Serbia has set a goal for EU accession in 2014, as per the Papandreou plan - Agenda 2014. European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
Vice President Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot
Jacques Barrot is a French politician, who has served as European Commissioner for Justice , after four years as Commissioner for Transport and Commissioner for Regional Policy for eight months . He is also one of five vice-presidents of the 27-member Barroso Commission...
seems to back this initiative, predicting Serbia's EU accession within 5 to 7 years following its formal application. Following stalled talks with Serbia, the European Union in October 2010 is said to be willing to move accession talks forward.
On 7 November 2007, Serbia initialed a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union, i.e. agreed on the final version of the text to which no or little changes are to be made, which is the step immediately preceding the official signing that was expected to take place in 2008. This was a milestone in Serbia's accession negotiations and was executed following the advice of chief war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte is a former Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals. A former Swiss attorney general, she was appointed prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in August...
, who advised the EU that the country was complying adequately with the tribunal but Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
must be in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
prior to any official signing being able to take place. Mladić was subsequently arrested on 26 May 2011, and has since been extradited to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
to stand trial. On 20 July, Goran Hadžić
Goran Hadžic
Goran Hadžić is a former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina who was in office during the Croatian War of Independence. He is accused of crimes against humanity and of violation of the laws and customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The court...
became the last indicted fugitive to be arrested. As such, Serbia now intends to request full candidate status in December 2011.
Serbian government stance
The government of Serbia wants to prepare the country for EU accession between 2012 and 2015. However, it seems much more likely that it would happen around 2017 due to many domestic problems and extensive reforms that should be implemented. The Serbian government has declared that the status of the KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
region should not be tied with the EU negotiations.
Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on 29 April 2008. Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
, Serbian Prime Minister at the time, said on 1 May that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed. But one day later, on 2 May 2008, he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
's agreement" and "the Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
-Đelić SAA signature". After the Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
, a new parliamentary majority and government was formed and the SAA opposition was left without political power. The new Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetković is a Serbian economist and the Prime Minister of Serbia as well as the Minister of Finance.-Biography:...
, announced “One of the first moves of the new government will be to submit the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union to the parliament for ratification” As of January 2009 the Serbian government has started to implement its obligations under the agreement unilaterally. The effects remain to be evaluated by the European Commission.
According to a survey by the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy, , support for accession among Serbians was 71 percent. However, that support has rapidly dropped, falling to around 60% in late 2010 and 42.4% in April 2011.
European Union stance
The European Union (EU) notes that for the time being, the only pre-condition and obstacle for Serbia's access to the EU is SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY), and the object of that obstacle and condition is the extradition of indicted Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
and Goran Hadžić
Goran Hadžic
Goran Hadžić is a former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina who was in office during the Croatian War of Independence. He is accused of crimes against humanity and of violation of the laws and customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The court...
for crimes against humanity, the last two persons sought by the ICTY. Ratko Mladić was captured successfully on May 26th 2011 and Goran Hadžić on July 20th 2011.
A strong opponent of Serbia's signing and ratification of the SAA
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
is the Netherlands, which stated that it will not put the SAA in force until Ratko Mladic is in ICTY custody. On Sept 15, 2008, the Netherlands froze the trade-related part of the SAA with Serbia.
Serbia and the EU were at odds over implementation of the EU's EULEX mission to Kosovo. The EU wants to implement its mission in Kosovo according to Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Ahtisaari
Martti Oiva Kalevi Ahtisaari is a Finnish politician, the tenth President of Finland , Nobel Peace Prize laureate and United Nations diplomat and mediator, noted for his international peace work....
’s Kosovo status proposal, but Serbia wants EULEX to be first approved by the UN Security Council in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, adopted on June 10, 1999, after recalling resolutions 1160 , 1199 , 1203 and 1239 , authorised an international civil and military presence in Kosovo ) and established the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo .Resolution...
. This has subsequently occurred after the UN Chancellor and Serbian government have reached a 5-point plan, after which the UNSC has approved the EULEX mission, which functioned under the mandate of the UNMIK.On May 19. 2011 during his official visit in Serbia Jose Manuel Barroso President of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
said that recognition of Kosovo is not a pre-condition for Serbia EU accession.
The signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement was opposed by the Governments of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
while the Government of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
lobbied on behalf of Serbia.
Negotiations
The European UnionEuropean Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
has been considering enlargement in the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
since at least the late 1990s. The negotiations became serious after Serbia began the reform process after the fall of the Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
regime in 2000, back then as part of the state union of Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia and Montenegro was a country in southeastern Europe, formed from two former republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia : Serbia and Montenegro. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, it was established in 1992 as a federation called the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
when the EU officially declared that the Balkan states are potential candidates for membership, confirmed in 2003.
Negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement started in November 2005.
On 3 May 2006, the European Union suspended SAA talks with Serbia over its failure to arrest Ratko Mladić, stating that Serbia failed to fulfill its commitment to fully co-operate with International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
. This slowed the pace of Serbia's EU entry and the reform process in Serbia. In July 2006, an action plan for the arrest of Ratko Mladić was issued by the government, aimed to locate and bring the former general to justice, which is expected to improve relations with EU. In May 2007, Serbian parties reached an agreement on a new government, and placed President Boris Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
as head of the newly created National Security Council. Within weeks of the Council's establishment, Serbian officials made two key arrests of indicted war criminals. As a result, on 13 June 2007, the European Union decided to reopen negotiations. On 21 July 2008, Radovan Karadžić
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
was arrested. On 26 May 2011 Mladić was arrested.
On 8 November 2007, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Božidar Đelić and the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn
Olli Rehn
Olli Ilmari Rehn is a Finnish politician, currently serving as European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs. He had previously served as Commissioner for Enlargement...
initialed in Brussels the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between Serbia and the European Union.
Olli Rehn said that the EU decision to initial the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia was the result of improved cooperation with the ICTY, as reported by the chief prosecutor of this Tribunal, Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte
Carla Del Ponte is a former Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals. A former Swiss attorney general, she was appointed prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in August...
.
Rehn underlined that full cooperation of Belgrade with the ICTY remains a precondition for signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which was initialed two years after the launching of the first negotiation round. On 16 January 2008 the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
confirmed that their countries would not sign the SAA (signatures are needed from all EU member states) until Serbia complied fully with the ICTY. On 14 January ICTY prosecutor Serge Brammertz
Serge Brammertz
Serge Brammertz is a Belgian jurist, and the prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.Brammertz was deputy prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2002 to 2007...
confirmed that there was no change and Serbia was still not fully cooperating.
Following this agreement, the EU plans to grant candidate status to Serbia as early as 2009, contingent on its full cooperation with the Hague tribunal.
Stabilisation and Association Agreement
Kosovo's provisional government unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, on 17 February 2008. This was followed by most EU countries recognising Kosovo as an independent countryInternational reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence
Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was enacted on Sunday, 17 February 2008 by the Assembly of Kosovo with a unanimous quorum. All 11 representatives of the Serb minority boycotted the proceedings...
. These events heavily influenced the Serbian political landscape. The central topic on which the coalition partners diverged was Serbia's EU accession.
On 4 April 2008, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica
Vojislav Koštunica is a Serbian politician, statesman and the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia. He was the last President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, succeeding Slobodan Milošević and serving from 2000 to 2003...
, supported by Velimir Ilić
Velimir Ilic
Velimir "Velja" Ilić is Serbian politician and a former Minister of Capital Investments in the Serbian government in the cabinet of Vojislav Koštunica.- Biography :...
, Minister of Infrastructure, stated that EU membership is no longer on the agenda for Serbia. Koštunica said that before EU accession continuation Serbia and EU must discuss the matter of borders and Serbia's territorial integrity. He said that Serbia must by no means sign the Stabilisation and Association Agreement
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
. He referred to the agreement as "Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
's agreement".
At the same time President Boris Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
said that the Vienna Convention allows him to sign the agreement and that he will sign it if it is offered. Božidar Đelić, Deputy Prime Minister, has been previously authorised by the Government to sign the agreement and is still willing to do so.
Deputy Prime Minister, Božidar Đelić signed the Stabilisation and Association Agreement on 29 April 2008. The ceremony in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
was attended by President Boris Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić
Vuk Jeremic
Vuk Jeremić is a Serbian politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of Serbia. He was sworn in on May 15, 2007 and reelected on July 7, 2008.-Education:Jeremić was born in Belgrade in 1975 to Miško Jeremić and Sena Buljubašić...
.
On 1 May Koštunica said that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was right when he said that the SAA should have been signed but one day later on 2 May 2008 he vowed to annul the agreement after the election, calling it "a trick", "Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
's agreement" and "the Tadić
Boris Tadic
Boris Tadić is the President of Serbia and leader of the Democratic Party. He was elected to a five-year term on 27 June 2004, and was sworn into office on 11 July. He was re-elected for a de facto second five-year term on 3 February 2008 and was sworn in on 15 February...
-Đelić SAA signature".
After the Serbian parliamentary election of 2008
Serbian parliamentary election, 2008
A pre-term parliamentary election was held in the Serbia on 11 May 2008, barely a year after the previous parliamentary election. There were 6,749,886 eligible electors who were able to vote in 8,682 voting places, as well as 157 special voting places designed for refugees from...
, a new parliamentary majority and government was formed, and the SAA opposition was left without political power. A new Serbian Prime Minister, Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetkovic
Mirko Cvetković is a Serbian economist and the Prime Minister of Serbia as well as the Minister of Finance.-Biography:...
announced "One of the first moves of the new government will be to submit the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union to the parliament for ratification". On 9 September 2008, a Parliament of Serbia have ratified the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the EU. The European Commission (EC) welcomes the ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) by the Serbian parliament.
On 15 September 2008, the Netherlands froze the trade related part of a pre-accession deal (SAA) with Serbia.
On 16 October 2008, the Serbian government unilaterally decided to begin implementing the Interim Trade agreement with the EU starting 1 January 2009.
Serbian government's Office for EU Integration data
| Date | Question | Yes | No | Unsure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December, 2003 | Join EU? | 72% | % | % |
| June, 2008 | Join EU? | 67% | 12% | % |
| October, 2008 | Join EU? | 65% | % | % |
| December, 2009 | Join EU? | 65% | % | % |
| June, 2010 | Join EU? | 65% | % | % |
| November, 2010 | Join EU? | 63% | % | % |
| December 17. do 23, 2010 | Join EU? | 57% | 18% | 20% |
| May, 2011 | Join EU? | 55% | % | % |
| June 16 - 23, 2011 | Join EU? | 53% | 24% | 23% |
| October, 2011 | Join EU? | 46% | 37% |
Other Sources
| Date | Agency | Question | Yes | No | Unsure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Gallup Balkan Monitor | Join EU? | 61% | % | % |
| October, 2008 | Strategic Marketing | Join EU? | 61% | % | % |
| November, 2010 | Gallup Balkan Monitor | Join EU? | 44% | % | % |
Key events in Serbia accession to EU
Timeline of events:1997: Regional Approach. The EU Council of Ministers establishes political and economic conditionality for the development of bilateral relations.
1999: The EU proposes the new Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) for five countries of Southeastern Europe, including Serbia.
2000 Oct: Fall of the Milosevic regime.
2000 Nov: Serbia to benefit from Autonomous Trade Preferences from the EU.
2001: First year of the new CARDS programme specifically designed for the SAP countries.
2001 Jun: Feira European Council states that all the SAP countries are "potential candidates" for EU membership.
2001 Jul: Start of the EU-FRY Consultative Task Force.
2002 Mar: Signature of the Belgrade Agreement on a State Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
2003 Jun: At Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
Summit, the SAP
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
is confirmed as the EU policy for the Western Balkans. The EU perspective for these countries is confirmed.
2003 Jul: EU Enhanced Permanent Dialogue with Serbia and Montenegro replaces the format of the Consultative Task Force
2004 Jun: Council decision on the European Partnership for Serbia and Montenegro, updated in January 2006.
2004 Oct: Council conclusions open up a process for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
2005 Oct: Negotiations for a Stabilisation and Association Agreement are launched.
2006-May-3: SAA negotiations called off due to lack of progress on cooperation with the ICTY.
2006-May-21: Montenegro declares independence.
2006-Jun-15: The Government of Serbia officially recognises Montenegro as an independent state.
2006 Jun: Following the declaration of independence of Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, Serbia becomes the legal successor to the State Union.
2006 Oct: Parliament of Serbia adopts a new Constitution, which is confirmed by referendum.
2007-June-13: SAA negotiations with Serbia resumed, following a clear commitment by the country to achieve full cooperation with the ICTY.
2007-Nov-01: Serbia's SAA is initialed.
2008-Jan-01: Entry into force of the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreement between Serbia and the EU.
2008-Feb-17: Assembly of Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
declares independence.
2008-Feb-18: Council of the EU - Decision on the principles, priorities and conditions contained in the European Partnership with Serbia including Kosovo.
2008-Apr-29: Serbia's SAA and Interim Agreement (IA) are signed in Luxembourg.
2008-May-07: Commissioner Barrot hands over the Road Map on Visa Liberalisation, set up with the aim of achieving a visa-free regime for Serbian citizens wishing to travel to Schengen countries.
2008-July-21: War crime indictee Radovan Karadzic is arrested.
2008-Sep-09: SAA and IA ratified by National Assembly of Serbia
National Assembly of Serbia
The National Assembly of Serbia is the unicameral parliament of Serbia. It is composed of 250 proportionally elected deputies elected in general elections by secret ballot, on 4 years term. The National Assembly elects the President of the National Assembly who presides over the sessions...
.
2008-Sep-15: Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
freezes SAA and trade part of SAA.
2008-Oct-16: Serbian government unilaterally decided to begin with implementation of trade part of Interim Trade agreement with EU starting 1 January 2009.
2009-Jan-01: Serbia implements Interim Trade Agreement with the EU.
2009-Nov-30: European Commission decides to put Serbia on White Schengen list.
2009-Dec-07: European Commission decides to implement Interim Trade agreement with Serbia.
2009-Dec-19: Visa-free regime for Serbia is put into force.
2009-Dec-22: Serbia officially applies for membership in the European Union.
2010-Feb-01: Interim agreement entry into force.
2010-Jun-14: European Commission decides to start ratification of SAA
Stabilisation and Association process
In talks with countries who have expressed a wish to join the European Union, the EU typically concludes Association Agreements in exchange for commitments to political, economic, trade, or human rights reform in that country...
.
2010-Jun-21: Spain ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Jul-02: Malta ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Jul-16: Bulgaria ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Aug-19: Estonia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Sep-09: Slovakia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Oct-25: Council of the EU forwards Serbia's application for EU membership to the European commission.
2010-Nov-16: Hungary ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Nov-24: European Commission presents Legislative questionnaire to applicant; the questionnaire contains 2,483 questions and subquestions.
2010-Nov-26: Cyprus ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2010-Dec-07: Slovenia ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-06: Italy ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-13: Austria ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-19: European Parliament ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-21: Luxembourg ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-26: Greece ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-28: Czech Republic ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Jan-31: Serbia responds to EU questionnaire.
2011-Feb-10: Germany ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Mar-01: United Kingdom ratifies Serbia's SAA.
2011-Mar-03: Denmark ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Mar-04: Portugal ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Apr-15: Sweden ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-May-26: War fugitive Ratko Mladić arrested in Lazarevo in northern Serbia.
2011-May-30: Latvia ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-May-31: Former Bosnian Serb army chief Ratko Mladić is extradited to the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
2011-July-20: War fugitive Goran Hadžić
Goran Hadžic
Goran Hadžić is a former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina who was in office during the Croatian War of Independence. He is accused of crimes against humanity and of violation of the laws and customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The court...
, the last fugitive indicted by the ICTY, is arrested, signaling the final hurdle to Serbia's candidate status.
2011-July-22: Former Serbian army chief Goran Hadžić
Goran Hadžic
Goran Hadžić is a former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina who was in office during the Croatian War of Independence. He is accused of crimes against humanity and of violation of the laws and customs of war by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.The court...
is extradited to the UN's International Criminal Tribunal.
2011-Sep-29: Ireland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Oct-12: European Commission has recommended that Serbia be granted an official EU candidate status
2011-Oct-21: Finland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Oct-27: Poland ratifies Serbia's SAA
2011-Nov-24: France ratifies Serbia's SAA
External links
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia
- The EU integration Office
- War crimes, conditionality and EU integration in the Western Balkans, by Vojin Dimitrijevic, Florence Hartmann, Dejan Jovic, Tija Memisevic, edited by Judy Batt, Jelena Obradović, Chaillot Paper No. 116, June 2009, European Union Institute for Security StudiesEuropean Union Institute for Security StudiesThe European Union Institute for Security Studies is a Paris-based EU agency of the Common Foreign and Security Policy . Its goals are to find a common security culture for the EU, to help develop and project the CFSP, and to enrich Europe’s strategic debate.The EUISS is an autonomous agency with...