Marta Kos Says Not For Imposing Sanctions against Members of Serbian Government

Marta Kos (BETAPHOTO/HINA/Damir SENCAR)

European enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said on Feb. 12 that she was not for imposing sanctions against certain government officials but that she would analyze whether Serbia met the criteria for pre-accession financial aid.

In an interview with N1 she stressed that she saw a willingness on the Serbian side to meet the criteria, but that the recent adoption of judicial laws was a clear step backward, and that she would like the authorities to explain why they had adopted them and why they were signed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

"I am not for punishment, I believe in the people of Serbia and Serbia, we will find the right way. We will analyze whether Serbia meets the criteria for pre-accession financial aid. We expect Serbia to revise these laws, and if not we will see how we will react," Kos said, stressing that the adoption of the laws undermined trust in Brussels.

"What we are talking about is whether the Serbian government and parliament really want to bring Serbia into the EU. I still believe in that and I will continue trying for as long as that makes sense," Marta Kos said, adding that she expected the Serbian authorities to postpone the application of the amendments until the Venice Commission released its recommendations, followed by a revision of the laws in an inclusive way.