While Serbian officials have hailed Monday's decision to move the country's EU bid forward, average citizens in Belgrade don't appear to give much weight to the developments in Luxembourg.
Gordana Andric
“I’m not interested actually, because I've heard this story about Serbia moving towards the EU a thousand times,” says 55-year old Zoran Zivkovic from Belgrade, commenting on Monday’s decision by EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg to forward Serbia's application for candidacy status to the European Commission.
Another Belgrader, 38-year old Ana Antic, says: “I’m not following what is going on, I know that there was some discussion in Brussels, I heard about it last night on TV, but I’m not really interested.”
Most people interviewed by Balkan Insight didn’t even know that Serbia’s candidacy was on the agenda of EU diplomats.
Fifty-five year old Mira Miskovic and 58-year-old Zlata Sehic insist that events in Brussels don’t have any real impact on their lives, and that they are instead focused on everyday problems.
In sharp contrast to the indifferent public, Serbian officials have declared major victory.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic welcomed the EU foreign ministers' decision, saying it has marked "the opening a new era in [Serbia's} EU integration process”..
Serbian Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic Dejanovic told reporters:
"I am more than satisfied. Finally, all the efforts that Serbia made have been acknowledged. Now, we are obliged to work harder in order to meet EU standards."
Serbian President Boris Tadic submitted his country's request for candidate status for membership in the EU in December 2009.
The European Commission will now begin drafting an opinion on Belgrade's readiness to become an EU candidate country and begin accession talks, a process that will likely take a year to complete.
balkan insight
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