Accession of Serbia to the European Union

• European Union
• Serbia
• Kosovo (status disputed)

The Government of Serbia introduced on 22 December 2009 the application for membership of the European Union. Officially, Serbia since March 1, 2012 as a candidate. Negotiations began on 21 January 2014.

Stabilisation and Association Agreement

Opening of negotiations

Initial talks with Serbia took place immediately after the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević in 2000, then still with the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Concrete negotiations on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement ( SAA) began in November 2005., The European Union announced that it demands full cooperation of Serbia with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia ( ICTY) in The Hague. The EU also demanded the solution of ethnic problems in Kosovo, the fight against poverty and corruption in the south of the country.

The fact that were not arrested at this time Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, impeded negotiations. On 3 May 2006, the European Union continued negotiations for this reason. This slowed the pace of Serbia's EU accession and the reform process in Serbia. In July 2006, the Serbian government published an action plan to arrest the ex - generals. The parties agreed on the new government under President Boris Tadić. It was created a National Security Council, and the Union began with the resumption of negotiations on 13 June 2007.

Initialling

On November 8, signed in 2007 by EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Đelić the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Union and Serbia in Brussels. Olli Rehn gave as a reason for the initialling of the improved cooperation of Serbia with the International Criminal Court. The Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte told the EU that Serbia sufficiently cooperated with the ICTY. However, even Ratko Mladić must be delivered before the deal would be signed. On 14 January 2008, however, criticized the ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz that it still is no complete cooperation, and two days later decided the Netherlands and Belgium, not to sign the agreement until the perfect cooperation is ensured.

Signing of the SAA

After long negotiations, the foreign ministers of the 27 member countries agreed on 29 April 2008, two weeks before the parliamentary elections in Serbia, on the signing of the agreement, the Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Đelić in the presence of President Boris Tadić on the same day in Luxembourg undertook. In its decision, however, the EU Foreign Ministers noted that the agreement will only become effective if the EU governments to "recognize unanimously that the Republic of Serbia cooperates fully with the International Criminal Tribunal ".

On 9 September 2008 the Serbian Parliament ratified the provisional Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the EU. Ratification, however, linked from the EU to the condition, to ensure full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. Among other things, it was expected that Serbia, the last two fugitive war criminals Ratko Mladic and Goran Hadzic extradite. The Netherlands in particular were still skeptical, but ratified on 27 February 2012, the SAA.

After Lithuania has ratified in June 2013 after a long delay the deal as the last of the previous 27 EU countries, it appeared as scheduled on September 1, 2013. Serbia is therefore an associate member of the EU, so that the formal conditions for the opening of accession negotiations have been met.

Towards accession candidate status (2008 to 2012)

Radovan Karadžić was surprisingly arrested on 21 July 2008 in Belgrade and already nine days later transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This development has been very well received in Europe and considered a great step towards Serbia's EU.

On 23 January 2009, the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic stated that Serbia will officially make during the Czech EU presidency, which ended on June 30, the application for membership of the European Union. This does not finally happened yet. A recent announcement took place in November 2009 by the Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, following a conversation with EU Enlargement Commissioner Rehn instead.

On 7 December 2009 an interim agreement on trade facilitation with Serbia was approved by the Foreign Ministers of the EU, which had been blocked since its signing in April 2008 of the Netherlands. Within six months, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement should be renegotiated.

By decision of the EU interior ministers of 30 November 2009, the citizens of Serbia, as well as visa- free travel for Macedonia and Montenegro as of 19 December 2009 the Schengen member states of the EU.

The Serbian government made on 22 December 2009, an application for membership in the European Union. President Boris Tadić gave in Stockholm the application for his country at EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. On 25 October 2010, EU foreign ministers unanimously agreed in Luxembourg to forward the Serbian application for accession to the EU Commission. On 31 January 2011 the Serbian reply has been sent to the candidate questionnaire of the European Commission.

On 26 May 2011, Ratko Mladić was arrested in Lazarevo. Serbia now expects a speedy accession to the EU, the economic and financial crisis hampered a rapid EU accession for Serbia. After the last wanted war criminals, Goran Hadzic was arrested on 20 August 2011, Serbia has now met almost all of the EU's demands. Nevertheless rejected the Heads of State and Government from on the EU summit in early December in Brussels, Serbia award the status of candidate country. Against the unanimous decision required for this especially Germany had vetoed. This was preceded by the protracted border dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, whose status is controversial in international law. Among other things, 2011 Serbian protesters had attacked soldiers in the border region of the NATO-led Kosovo Force KFOR in November., Where many German soldiers had been injured. On the edge of the 48th Munich Security Conference, said the Austrian Defence Minister Norbert Darabos that Serbia should get candidate status quickly, as the government in Belgrade will send clear signals that she was interested in a solution to the Kosovo conflict.

Candidate status

March 1, 2012 Serbia was given the status of a candidate country. Previously, EU member Romania had given up his resistance after a Serbian- Romanian agreement was signed for the protection of minorities. The Romanian politician Cristian Diaconescu had demanded, inter alia, guarantees for the population living in Serbia minority of Vlachs.

Were clouded the prospects for accession of Serbia in early August 2012, when the end of July, newly installed government of Prime Minister Ivica Dacic (SPS ) had to vote on a controversial bill to Parliament. This is to give more control over the central bank in connection with a historic budget deficit of 2.2 billion euros of government. 139 MPs voted for the bill, 39 against. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the EU had previously protested. The National Bank Governor Dejan Šoškić had resigned two days before the vote in protest. The European Union declared that Serbia's efforts had been set back by EU accession with adoption of the law.

End of June 2013 approved a European Union summit that the EU will start 2014 accession negotiations with Serbia in January. Prerequisite for this is that the agreements to normalize relations with Kosovo revived.

Overview of the negotiation progress

Negotiations began on January 21, 2014 a press conference in Brussels. Serbia hopes to be accepted into the EU in 2020.

Negotiation progress:

• Completed screening
• Opening chapter
• Completed Chapter