European Integration Committee Chairman Aleksandar Senic said that the relations between the National Assembly and the European Parliament have greatly improved, adding that the National Assembly is ready for the EU accession negotiations process. The European Integration Committee Chairman stressed that the National Assembly had additionally strengthened its position in the talks by adopting the Resolution on the Role of the National Assembly and Principles in the Negotiations on the Accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union. Senic added that, in its current mandate, the Committee had also adopted the Decision regulating the procedure for consideration of proposed negotiating positions at the sitting of the European Integration Committee and the committee within whose purview the matter concerning the negotiating position falls. The decision envisages cooperation with the civil society and other stakeholders via the National Convention on the European Union. Speaking to the European Parliament Rapporteur on Serbia, Aleksandar Senic also stressed that the Committee enjoys excellent cooperation with the EU Delegation to Serbia.
Sharing his support of Serbia’s European integration, European Parliament Rapporteur on Serbia David McAllister said it would be good if the first negotiations chapters were opened in 2015, especially the crucial ones. The decision to open the negotiations chapters and the order in which they will be opened is made by the EU member states, said McAllister.
McAllister said that 22 amendments were submitted to the first Draft Resolution he had submitted to the European Parliament and the plan is to submit the adjusted version in March which the EP is then to vote on.
The officials also discussed the Serbian citizens’ support of European integration and the harmonization of Serbia’s foreign policy with the EU’s.
The meeting was also attended by European Integration Committee Deputy Chairman Laszlo Varga, and Committee members and deputy members Marija Obradovic, Dragan Sormaz, Vera Paunovic, Vesna Markovic, Natasa Vuckovic, Dr Aleksandra Tomic, Ivan Bauer, Biljana Pantic Pilja, Branko Ruzic, Dr Vladimir Orlic and Sonja Vlahovic, as well as the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Michael Davenport.