Bilcik: If Serbia Aligns Foreign Policy with Eu’s, It Will Make Progress in All Other Areas, Too

Vladimir Bilcik, Matjaz Nemec (BETAPHOTO/SERBIAN GOVERNMENT/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC)

If Serbia aligns its foreign policy with the European Union’s and introduces sanctions against Russia, it would probably be easier for the country to make progress in all other areas as well, the European Parliament’s rapporteur for Serbia, Vladimir Bilcik, said on Dec. 2.

“Serbia needs to make progress and carry out reforms in many areas, including the rule of law and democracy, just like the dialogue with Pristina needs to move forward. We also expect Serbia to align its foreign and security policy with the Union’s, including imposing sanctions against Russia,” Bilcik said.

According to the European parliamentarian, if Serbia takes this path, it would be an important political signal to all member states and all the institutions of the European Union that Serbia is with the Union. “It’s a political issue that is currently in focus, and if Serbia makes progress in that area, I believe it would make it easier for the country to make progress in other accession areas as well,” Bilcik said.

The EP rapporteur also said that neither Serbia nor the EU had a plan B in the accession process, and that there was no risk that the accession negotiations could be stopped. “Serbia can join the EU if and when, among other things, such as the rule of law or alignment with the Union’s foreign policy, it normalizes relations with Pristina. As politics can be very creative, the format of the normalization, how it can be achieved and what the result will be, are all open issues,” Bilcik explained.