Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Prof. Dr Dragoljub Micunovic received today a delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Holland comprising the Director of the Department for South-Eastern Europe Caspar Veldkamp and Moritz Verheiden. The meeting was also attended by the Dutch Ambassador to Serbia, Ron van Dartel.

The main topic of conversation was Serbia’s accession to the European Union, with some mention of bilateral cooperation issues.

Dutch Foreign Ministry representative Casper Veldkamp said that the visit comes at an important moment for both Dutch-Serbian relations and Dutch-EU relations. If the report of the Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz is positive for Serbia, then Holland will agree that the EU Council of Ministers rule on the commencement of ratification of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia. He restated Holland’s attitude that the apprehension of the remaining Hague defendants is important for Serbia’s road to the European Union and the relations between the two countries.

The Dutch guests emphasised that Serbia is the leading country in the Western Balkans without which there can be no full integration of the region into the EU. However, on that road, Serbia must meet all the prerequisites and criteria. Serbia’s accession to the EU is not conditional on recognising the independence of Kosovo, but on the development of good-neighbourly relations.

Committee Chairman Micunovic stressed that Serbia endeavors to raise cooperation with the neighbouring and other countries in the region to the best possible level. This is evidenced in the increased economic cooperation with neighbouring countries, Serbia’s contribution to the stabilisation of the political situation in the region and uncompromising fight against organised crime. Serbia has also fulfilled all the obligations set out in the so-called roadmap primarily regarding the harmonisation of domestic legislation and European legal practice, said the Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, stressing that Serbia will never recognise the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo-Metohija. Serbia is waiting for the ruling of the International Court of Justice on the matter in order to continue negotiations, Micunovic said and invited Dutch investors to invest into Serbia.

In the continuation of their visit, the Dutch Parliamentary delegation met with the head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Holland Jelena Trivan. In the meeting with the Dutch parliamentarians, Trivan emphasised that joining the European Union was Serbia’s priority and presented the reforms Serbia was implementing in the political and social sphere so as to meet all the conditions necessary for European Union membership candidacy. She stated that the global economic crisis has had an impact on the economic situation in Serbia, but added that Serbia has managed to keep its stability. She also said that popular support of EU integration exceeds 70% which demonstrates Serbia’s determination not to give up on the social reform and democratisation. She stressed that the Serbian Assembly was seriously interested in cooperating with the Dutch Parliament and expressed hope that it would result in more intensive parliamentary cooperation.

The Dutch parliamentarians estimated that the level of cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Kingdom of Holland is very high, stressing that they see Serbia as the leading country in the region without which the Western Balkans cannot be fully integrated into the European Union. They fully support Serbia’s efforts to continue toward its goal – meeting the preconditions and criteria, adding that the high percentage of popular support for the EU integration process is a very positive indicator of the popular attitude towards European Union membership.