Thank you, Mr President,
I would like to congratulate, first of all, the rapporteur Mr Kacin and his shadow rapporteurs for the work they have done so far.
I regret to see the EU-facilitated Serbia-Kosovo talks fail after 6 months of negotiations. The talks today are a last chance before the April Council meeting to reach a clear agreement on the outstanding issues. However, it is not up to the EU to impose solutions. Never before has the EU future of Serbia been more in their own hands. It is a matter of maturity of the Serbian political leadership and the society.
The choice “EU or Kosovo” is a detrimental concept polarizing society and jeopardizing the EU accession path of the country. It could finally lead to a result, which is neither “EU, nor Kosovo”.
I have to remind that there are other important items on the EU agenda of Serbia, as outlined in the EP resolution: guaranteeing democracy and the functioning of democratic institutions, upholding the rule of law, ensuring respect for human rights, protection of all minorities throughout Serbia according to European standards, maintaining good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation.
Optimism is needed and I finish by saying that 22nd of April Council will mark a new beginning for Serbia.