European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Thursday, after talks between a delegation of the European Commission and a delegation of the Serbian government, that the European Union supported Serbia on its path to European associations, adding that in that context cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was critical.
It is crystal clear that Serbia's cooperation with the Hague tribunal is critical and we expect Serbia to do its best, Barroso told a joint news conference in the Serbian government headquarters.
Barroso praised Serbia's efforts in the European integration process saying that the country was on the right track. He, however, stressed that time was running out and that Serbia needed to to move fast with political, legal, and economic changes in order to catch the EU train.
"Indeed, 2011 is the year of crucial opportunity for Serbia and Europe. You are on the right track, but time is running out," the European Commission head told journalists in Serbia's capital.
My message to the citizens is very clear, we expect Serbia to join the family of European peoples and now we need to work together to achieve that objective, Barroso said.
Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said 2011 was one of the most important years in Serbia's European integration process. He said the talks focused on legislation, the fight against corruption and organised crime, the judiciary, the population census in Kosovo and the issue of fake asylum seekers.
Later this afternoon, Barroso is expected to meet Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic Dejanovic and President Boris Tadic.
