Falconi: EC Report Shows Foundation in Place, Progress Limited or Non-Existent

Ambassador Falconi (Beta/Milan Obradovic)

French Ambassador to Serbia Jean-Louis Falconi has said that a recent European Commission report shows that Serbia has laid the foundation and invested effort to make strides in many areas, but that results were lacking due to observable difficulties in implementation.

In an interview he gave to Novi Pazar-based Radio Sto Plus on Oct. 9, Falconi said France remained sincerely aligned with Serbia's bid to join the European Union, but also stood by the position of the EC as given in the report, mentioning the state of the media in Serbia and the Media Strategy as an example of non-existent results.

A lot more needs to be done in public administration reform, in appointing holders of office and raising transparency. We also expect reforms of the justice system, and a committed fight to curb corruption and organized crime. These reforms are required for association with the EU, that is the rule, Falconi said.

He added that the new methodology for EU expansion would not mean that Serbia would start over from square one, and everything done so far would be taken into account.

Falconi went on to say that he expected Serbia to begin with the new methodology once its new cabinet was formed, and that Brussels and the EC would track all of this, and also take pro-active steps.