Degert also thanked all those who helped organise the Festival and said that it was a "fantastic adventure".

In his words, the idea of the Festival is to promote exchange in the area of art and culture, and Serbia has long been part of Europe when it comes to art, actors, filmmakers or singers.

Degert said that the existing links between Serbia and the EU should be consolidated, strengthened and promoted.

Polish Ambassador in Serbia Andrzej Jasionowski said that the goal of the Festival was to promote European values, such as tolerance, democracy and cultural diversity, and he remarked that it was a wonderful undertaking.

"I hope this idea will be received favourably by the spectators and that the audience will enjoy the films," Polish Ambassador said.

He pointed out that it was a great honour to have the Polish film “In Darkness” (“W ciemności “) by Agnieszka Holland at the opening of the Festival. This film was also Polish Oscar candidate and it impressed the audience and critics around the world.

"It does not belong to the category of “light” films, but it redeems faith in humanity and fundamental values," Jasionowski said.

The Film Festival is held in the framework of celebration of this year’s Europe Days, under the motto “Europe Open”. The festival is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Serbia and EU Info Centre.

The Festival is held from 13 to 19 May 2012 and it will offer a variety of film premieres from the latest European production, which have won several most prestigious festival awards worldwide, from Cannes to Venice.

“Water Polo is one of Serbia’s most successful sports and 2012 is an Olympic year, so it is important to promote the values of team spirit and friendship among the participants,” Degert said.

We want to promote the values of sports and I think these guys have been scoring wonderful goals and achieving great results today, and the spectators enjoyed the competition, Degert highlighted. 

Degert awarded medals to the winners of Waterpolo Championship of Belgrade primary and secondary schools. 4th Belgrade High School defeated the 14th Belgrade High School (the defender of the title) 15-11 in the final game.

Some 150 spectators attended the finals in both age sections. Ivanović and Sijerković were the referees.

In the final for primary schools, “Bora Stanković” defeated “Filip Filipović“ primary school 13-11 (2-2, 3-0, 5-5, 3-4).

The winning team of “Bora Stanković” primary school: S.Šejat (the only girl in the competition), Kolašinac 5, Nešić 1, Vujić, Tomić, Vučinić 3, Janjanin 4, Peleš, Zdravković, Andrin, Gerbislav, Djukanović, D.Šejat. Coaches: Svetlana Stanić and Jugoslav Vasović.

„Filip Filipović“: Pacina, Stefanović 3, Velkić 4, Budrak 3, Djorović 1, Radivojević, Gilipman, Rosić, Janjić, Vesić, Budrak. Coach: Gerzina.

Primary school “Gavrilo Princip” won the 3rd place.

The final for secondary schools was an excellent game. 4th Belgrade High School defeated the 14th Belgrade High School 15-11 (3-3, 5-4, 5-2, 2-2).

4th Belgrade High School: L.Vasiljević, Asanović 5, Nešić, Mojić, Ilić 2, Vučetić, Andrejević 2, Raca 1, Vučićević 4, Lazić 1, Domanović, P.Vasiljević. Coach: Miljatović.

14th Belgrade High School: Klisura, Đjurić 1, Rakovec, Ivanović 1, Stefanović 2, Đorđević, Stevanović 2, Koprivica 3, Antanasković, Gerun, Sinobad, Dimitrijević 1, Jovanović, Andjelković. Coach: Lazarević.

The bronze goes to 15th Belgrade High School and its coach Nonković.

The tournament was organised by Belgrade Water Polo Association (BWPA), in cooperation with Sports Secretariat and sponsored by the Delegation of the EU to Serbia. The medals and trophies were handed over by Head of the EU Delegation Vincent Degert, President of BWPA Nikola Marjanović, Nemanja Radović on behalf of Sports Secretariat and Dejan Savić, a famous national team player and Red Star coach.

25 primary and secondary schools have taken part in the tournament which started on Friday.

All the information and results are available HERE

Clarke says that Serbia will successfully harmonise its legislation related to wine production with EU regulations, because it is one of requirements in European integration process.

EU attaches importance to agriculture in Serbia, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Vincent Degert stated.

"Quality is of great importance and all the projects which are launched aim at increasing it," Degert said, and added that he was convinced that in the forthcoming period Serbia would accomplish the quality which will allow it to compete in the EU market.

Head of the EU Delegation said that he has had an opportunity to taste several wine types in Serbia and that they are of very good quality in his opinion, especially "tamjanika" and "prokupac".

Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio said he was happy that his country had a rich cooperation with Serbia and added that he was certain that both sides would do their best to make this cooperation even richer and more versatile in the future. He said that Serbian agriculture was important not only because of its GDP, but also because of a sustainable development of the whole region.

The main projects in the scope of this EU-funded programme include the development of detailed viticulture zoning and mapping viticultural, geographic and production areas in Serbia, and technical support for development of a new system of designation of origin of wine, in accordance with the recently implemented system in the EU.

The project also includes support to the Ministry in order to harmonise legislation and develop draft regulations in this area, organising training activities for civil servants and representatives of institutions responsible for control in terms of proper designation of origin of wine, and support in procurement of control equipment.

This EU-funded project worth € 1.2 million will enable better functioning of the new system of designation for wine with geographical indications, in accordance with EU standards.

"Serbia was recently granted candidate status, which opens space for a stronger activity towards the EU," Serbian Minister of Agriculture Dušan Petrović said, and added that the strongest activity in this aspect should come from agriculture.

Petrović said that Serbia already had 65 winemakers with a certificate for production of wine with geographical indications, and highlighted: "Since we will certainly join the EU, we should do our best to contribute to the European offer of wine products".

"50th Anniversary of Common Agriculture Policy - Perspective of Serbia"

The main characteristic of Serbian agriculture is the production of quality food and the EU will not seek from Serbia to give up on this, but only to comply with certain regulations in the production process; this one of the highlights of the debate held today at the Novi Sad Fair, on the occasion of celebrating 50 years of EU’s Common Agriculture Policy.

"We will not make you produce cucumbers of a specific size or shape, but the requirements stipulated in EU regulations demand chiefly investments in environmental protection," French Ambassador to Serbia, François-Xavier Deniau said. The Ambassador of France added that the EU knows that Serbian tomato is tasty and it will not require from Serbia to produce tasteless tomatoes; it will only have to comply with certain regulations in the production process.

Speaking about new directions of the European agricultural policy, John Clarke highlighted that the measures encouraging the involvement of young people and young experts in agricultural, chiefly organic production were particularly interesting for Serbia.

"Starting from 2014, farmers will receive support depending on their achievements in environmental protection and the volume of their organic production,” Clarke said. He also pointed out that the EU wants to make it clear to Serbia that it is very important to preserve the control of agricultural production.

Clarke said that farmers need to know mid-term, if not long-term goals of agricultural policy and that the policy should not change with every election cycle.

Minister of Agriculture Dušan Petrović said that Serbia would do its best to harmonise its legislation with EU regulations in the area of agriculture. He remarked that substantial efforts were invested to develop legislation which makes it easier for our institutions to adopt all the new practices coming from the EU.

Head of the EU Delegation explained the importance of the Union in negotiations with big partners, chiefly the growing world powers such as India, China or Brazil. 

"We have to be strong and united because this is the best way to present 500 million people," Degert said.

The students of Belgrade secondary schools were predominantly interested in further progress of Serbia’s European integration process and how it will affect their future, education and finally, the prospects of finding a job.

Degert explained to the students that Serbia has reached the stage when it harmonises its legislation with EU rules and probably the most important fact for them at the moment was that now they can freely travel to EU Member states and compare their knowledge with that of their peers in other countries.

Degert also highlighted that the progress Serbia has made represents a signal for investors that Serbia will remain a stable and "economically predictable" country, and a proof of this is reflected in the fact that EU Member States have invested € 11 billion so far.

The students also wanted to know how the EU sees the process of solving the Kosovo issue and whether Serbia would be required to recognise Kosovo’s independence in order to join the EU.

"The EU is not asking for recognition of Kosovo’s independence... The EU is asking for normalisation of Belgrade – Priština relations. The solution cannot be imposed... It has to be worked out between Belgrade and Priština," Degert said. "There is no magic solution... A number of practical issues should be solved through negotiations".

Speaking about the problems Serbia is facing, Degert also replied to the questions related to corruption, unemployment in the EU and Serbia, and advantages of joining the EU.

"Serbia plays a key role for stability of the region and Serbia’s progress towards the Union is a good sign for neighbouring countries which have the same aspirations. At the same time, the EU market will expand to another 7 million people, or 20 million in total in the region of Western Balkans," Degert said. 

"The more states we have in the EU, the stronger we get in negotiations with other parties," Degert said in reply to the question about the EU’s interest in accepting Serbia’s membership bid.

Students from 12 Belgrade high schools and vocational schools participated in the debate.

"I am very proud to be in Serbia today, because this event proves that we share the same values, team spirit, tolerance and fighting fair in order to win," Degert told FoNet after the Ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony was also attended by representatives of Serbian Ministry of Education, Serbian Armed Forces and local self-government of Sremska Mitrovica.

9th School Olympic Games are held from 8 to 15 May 2012 in Sremska Mitrovica, Inđija, Ruma and Belgrade.

All information, standings and results of the School Olympic Games are available at http://www.skolskisportsrbije.org.rs/

At the gala reception held on the occasion of 9 May, Europe Day, Degert said that over the previous 3 years Serbian citizens have started travelling to the EU without visas, the Stabilisation and Association Agreement came into force and Serbia was granted candidate status.

This is a great achievement of the Government, its ministers and the Parliament, this is an achievement of Serbia’s political elite, Degert said.

We should not stop here and we have to continue to build a solid and strong Europe that Serbia and its neighbours can be part of. As High Representative Catherine Ashton said, the EU of course has diversity and different voices, but at the end of the day it is important that we speak clearly and send one unique and strong message on behalf of Europe, Degert highlighted.

The reception held at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre was attended by Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković, the Speaker of Serbian Parliament and acting President of Serbia, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Minister of the Interior Ivica Dačić and the representatives of diplomatic corps.

"It is still not a finished job because in the south of Europe there is still Western Balkans, which is not part of the Union. Some of these countries are joining soon and others are, I hope, continuing on the right path," Degert said. 

Speaking about the Schuman Declaration which led to the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community, Degert highlighted that the document led to reconciliation between France and Germany, which is, in his words, also necessary for the Balkan countries.

“The message of Schuman Declaration was precisely the reconciliation between France and Germany, and this made Europe a solid project in this respect. We need the same urgency of reconciliation and solidarity between the countries of the Western Balkans," Degert said.

"I’ve been living here for seven years and I’ve seen many changes in this regard in this period of time. The issue of facing the past is not an easy one for anybody, even for our Member States, and also of course for Serbia or the neighbouring countries, but it is the only way if we want to face the challenges of the future," Degert added.

In his words, the EU enlargement process from the original 6 to 27 member states has not always been smooth and without problems, and current economic crisis is one of the biggest challenges for the Union in its history.

"The EU has been through different crises and today we are facing a difficult economic crisis which we can overcome only if we work together to achieve economic growth and reduce unemployment," Degert said and added: “I will not be easy, but the EU is on the right path.”

In this aspect Brussels has to work together with other “big players” such as the USA and China, not only on solving the economic issues, but also on all the challenges of the modern time, Degert pointed out.

We need to believe in our values and our capability to be a strong player on the international stage," Degert highlighted.

Degert announced that several events in Serbia - Belgrade, Sremska Mitrovica, Loznica, Novi Sad and Niš, between 8 and 20 May, will mark this year’s Europe Day, celebrating 62 years of the EU.

He said that School Olympic Games were taking place in Sremska Mitrovica, and that a European Film Festival will be held in Belgrade from 14 to 18 May.

"This year we put emphasis on the culture, and Serbia, as a country with rich film production, has always been part of the European cultural area," Degert said.

Commenting on the fact that 9 May also marks Victory Day, celebrating the capitulation of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, Degert highlights that anti-fascism has been an integral part of the European project which is, as he pointed out, based on the rule of law and democratic values.

EU leaders decided in 1985 that 9 May should be celebrated as Europe Day in commemoration of the Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, a proposal by then-French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman to former enemies, France and Germany, to establish an organisation to jointly manage their coal and steel industries.

"I welcome the agreement reached on OSCE facilitation of voting in Kosovo in the Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections, and would like to express my appreciation and full support to the OSCE for carrying out this facilitating role. 

I call on both Pristina and Belgrade to continue to cooperate with the OSCE in good faith so that the vote is held in a peaceful and orderly way. I call on all sides to refrain from any action which may spark tensions. 

EULEX will monitor the security environment and will execute its mandate in close cooperation with the other international and local organisations involved."

A group of 500 participants from 36 elementary schools in Serbia was questioned in the survey, with the aim to deliver data about the status and needs of adults at the beginning of their enrolment in the education program. This quantitative survey was done through a questionnaire aiming at their educational and working status, economic situation, social networking, motivation for enrolment in classes and potential reasons for dropping out.

On the basis of the data processed, it was concluded that adults who returned to elementary school are mostly of Roma (49.2%) or Serbian (35.8%) ethnicity. The gender structure of participants is almost equally distributed – 48% of participants are men, and 52% of them are women. Most of them are young people between 15 and 25 years of age (30.5% are men, 17.4% are women), while the number of participants is decreasing with age. The oldest participant among the interviewees is 59 years of age, and the youngest is 15. The number of participants in annual cycles (levels) of education in the “Second chance” shows that it was mostly difficult to motivate those who have the maximum of three years of study in front of them – 28.6% of adults follow classes of the first cycle (1-4 grades), 35.8% of them are in the second cycle (5^th and 6^th grades), 35.6% in the third cycle (7^th and 8^th grades and vocational training).

As many as 43.8% of participants are not married. The average participant lives in a family of five members where only one member completed elementary education. One third of families (30.3%) have no members who completed elementary education. Among the main reasons for dropping out of school in an earlier age, interviewees mostly state a lack of motivation, finances, a lack of family support or the fact that they had to move. Participants were mostly dropping out from elementary school after the 4^th or the 6^th grade. The largest number dropped out from school between the age of 13 and 15 years.

Regarding the work status and the economic situation, 72.4% of interviewees stated that they were unemployed, and 67.2% to have no sufficient funds to live. Only 33 participants (7.8%) have sufficient resources for a good life, and 3 participants (0.6%) for more than a good life.

Data obtained through the survey clearly show the participants’ social exclusion – as many as 92.6% of them are not members of any organisation (from the NGO sector or some other local organisation). What was interesting was the fact that participants mostly solve problems alone or with members of their family, but when they have to – they will rather seek for help in their FEEA school (19.1%) then with friends, neighbors or other social institutions.

An average participant is not completely sure about their own future and is not fully committed to complete the FEEA programme. However, the percentage of participants who expect from the “Second Chance” to acquire knowledge and skills and continue with education (38.8%) is higher than with those who expect to get a job or keep the existing one (35.8%) or those whose main motivation was to get a diploma (23.2%). Among the potential barriers which could prevent them to complete elementary education, participants state eventual health issues (41.8%), obligation to earn money (22.1%), inability to pay travel costs to go to school or the fact that there is no public transport (22.2%). Only 7% of the interviewees said that nothing can stop them to complete elementary education with the “Second Chance”. 

The TV series has pioneered a new approach to create educational programmes for children. Messages and storylines were developed with the help of independent experts working on the issues addressed in the episodes and TV broadcasters and were tested at each main production phase by children in the three project target countries: Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. In Serbia, the kids participating to the project attend school Branko Radicevic in Velika Mostanica 

Project coordinator, Luigi Petito said: “We are delighted to introduce “In search of Sara J” today to the children, educators and media in Belgrade. The project has already received positive reactions from the children involved in the focus group and I look forward to knowing how it will be received by children from all over the country. Positive audiovisual products such as In search of Sara J, are very effective to contribute positively to children growth and, in a multiplatform learning environment, provide educational content for TV broadcasters”. 

Delegation of the European Union in Belgrade, Freek Janmaat said: “We are very proud to support this series since we believe that children are one of our most important target groups. Unconventional ways of communicating the EU to the children is important and proves that the EU is mostly about values and concrete benefits for citizens.”

"I think I can safely say that cartoons prove to be a good mean of communication. The topics covered by these series are also important, such as energy, environmental protection, free movement of people and tolerance. Children are not only the future, but the most open and interested people who are eager to learn while playing or watching a cartoon", Janmaat said.

Local partner, Vladimir Bozic added: “Animation is a great way to present important and complex issues to young generations. Edutainment is certainly one of the ways forward to convey engaging messages on these issues, and illustrate for example in a simple and fun way what the European Union concretely means to the children and their parents in their daily lives”. 

In search of Sara J has been co-funded by the European Union and will be broadcast on Happy TV starting from September 2012.

The Commission for Protection of Competition fined the companies in breach of competition rules in total amount of RSD 3.2 billion (EUR 29 million) in 2011, says Vesna Janković, President of the Commission.

Janković pointed out that in the last year the Commission used its authority to impose sanctions by charging a maximum of 10 percent of the annual revenue from the company in breach of competition rules for the first time.

Janković added that from the next month on the Commission will have EU expert support and the latest forensic equipment which will be used in surprise visits to companies.

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković highlighted that protection of competition and the anti-monopoly policy were important elements of the economy and that the citizens can feel their effects in a more versatile offer, better prices and improved quality of the goods and services.

"Serbian Government provides full support to independent bodies, and it is important in this context that the new Competition Protection Law has expanded the responsibilities of the Commission," Cvetković said. He pointed out that the Commission has “proven its independence in its work so far”.

Serbian Minister of Agriculture Dušan Petrović said that the Government has made "good decisions" in the area of competition. "If the Government had not adopted the decision to cap the margins to 10%, we would have a rather dramatic situation in the market, especially now that the Euro exchange rate is going up."

Such acts donot comply with the spirit of the dialogue. The delegation was part of the working group forimplementation of the agreements reached in the EU facilitated dialogue. The EU will continue tofacilitate the Priština -Belgrade dialogue and the two sides are meeting today to furtherimplementation.

It needs to be clear though that this dialogue is not only about reachingagreements but more importantly about implementation and real delivery to benefit people on bothsides. Implementation is also a key requirement for each party's progress in their path towards theEU integrations".

"These people now have a job, they have contracts, they are earning a salary and making a living for their families, and have their children going to school. This means real inclusion into the society. The Government, the City authorities and the donors have worked together in order to change the reality in which the Roma population in Belgrade is living, and they were successful in this. The European Union invested EUR 50 million in social inclusion, education and healthcare for this community in Serbia, but the legislative framework also needs to change in order to facilitate further progress in this area,” Degert said.

The Head of the EU Delegation said that the project is helping Roma minority to have a normal life, to be included in the society, have a job, earn a salary and make a living for their families, and have their children going to school. This means real inclusion into the society, Degert highlighted. He thanked the partners in the project – Serbian Government, the City of Belgrade, Sweden and Norway, which helped fund the project.

Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said that Serbia has made significant progress in improving healthcare and education of Roma community, and that the project represented progress towards economic inclusion of Roma into the society.

Cvetković said that infant mortality rate among Roma population in Serbia was reduced by half, which is a result of improvement of healthcare of Roma community.

The Mayor of Belgrade explained that 20 people were employed on a full time basis in this cooperative, while another 130 persons worked on a part-time basis. He said that 6 more such centres were planned to be opened in Serbia, three of which in Belgrade.

"What is important is that there are many children going to school, both in this settlement and in the other settlements we have built. Thus, some 120 kids who used to live under the Gazela bridge go to primary school today, and more than 20 are attending a pre-school institution," Đilas said. He highlighted that they all have health cards, receive social assistance and there are health assistants working with them.

UNDP Resident Representative in Serbia William Infante pointed out that the UN, with EU support, has supported many projects enabling Roma to work not only in the recycling centres, but also in many other areas.

In his words, Serbia is now a model of Roma social inclusion, as this model of cooperative is universal for Europe. “We hope that we can leap the borders and replicate this model in FYR Macedonia and in Montenegro,” Infante said.

Some facts about the project

– EUR 460,000 was invested in the Centre in Orlovsko naselje

– It functions as a cooperative, which is the owner of the Centre together with the municipality

– The salaries for employees are provided by donors, and the cooperative should start funding itself from its own sources from May 2012

–14 months ago, when the work had only started, there were 12 employees; now there are 20

– The Centre works with 130 cooperants and 250 companies and municipalities

I am deeply saddened by the news that Ms. Verica Barać passed away today. She bravely combated her illness, as she combated corruption up to the last moments of her life. Verica was a courageous person both in her personal and professional life.

I have fond memories of our last meeting in December 2011 when we were preparing a joint event for International Anti-Corruption Day on 9 December and when we discussed in great depth many open issues and problems relating to corruption in Serbia.

Her efforts and tireless work went hand in hand with her profound conviction that fighting corruption is indispensable for progress to be made by Serbia on its way towards EU membership.

For more than one decade she persistently raised serious issues of systemic corruption in the Serbian economy and society, tirelessly questioning the level of political will to fight corruption. She worked with the dedication of a person who is doing this for the better future of her country and people.

I hope that you, her associates and collaborators in the Anti-Corruption Council, will continue down the road that Verica took and that the work she started will not slow down or disappear.

Personally, I feel deep sorrow and my thoughts go to her family and friends in this difficult moment for them.

Yours sincerely,

Vincent DEGERT

The 2012 Progress Report will follow the same structure as the 2011 Analytical Report on Serbia. Under each of the relevant criteria (political, economic criteria as well as European standards) it will assess progress made by Serbia since September 2011, notably on the basis of the European Partnership priorities. Progress will be measured in terms of decisions actually taken, legislation adopted and degree of implementation.

The Delegation highly values the dialogue with Serbia’s civil society organisations as key partners in Serbia’s European integration process. In this respect, we would very much welcome your written contributions on the Political, Economic Criteria and European Standards to the 2012 Progress Report. We consider it of utmost importance for an accurate analysis and in-depth assessment.

The entire 2011 Analytical Report on Serbia, as well as the Opinion and the Strategy Paper can be found on the Delegation’s website:

(http://www.europa.rs/srbijaIEu/kljucni_dokumenti/MisljenjeEvropskekomisijeokandidaturiSrbije.html).

We would appreciate to receive your contributions no later than Friday, 30 March. Contributions should be sent to the following e-mail address: zorica.vasileva@eeas.europa.eu with the subject: 2012 Progress Report – (Name of your NGO) contribution.

Ambassador Degert said that Serbian citizens wanted to learn about realistic and practical things arising from Serbia's EU integration and about the difference it will make in their lives.

Speaking about media reporting about the EU in Serbia, Degert said that candidate status was a very important milestone and that the next important step will be the opening of accession negotiations and added that the public also wanted to be informed about every chapter of the negotiations in the media.

"It is important to keep informing the citizens about the contents of the chapters which will be opened next and tell them what difference this will make in their lives," Degert said. He pointed out that Serbia-EU relations changed in the last three years and were much better now.

Commenting on the increased frequency of neutral reports, Head of the EU Delegation said that further efforts were needed in order to improve the quality of information provided about the EU to the citizens and added that it was also necessary to "touch upon the feelings".

"When the media claim that e.g. Serbia will have to give up the free trade agreement with Russia on its path to the EU, why do they fail to mention the fact that it will happen only when it has joined the EU, and that the EU itself has excellent partnership relations with Russia, which means that Serbia will continue to export to Russia under the same conditions?" Degert asked.

He also remarked that the fact that the EU is the biggest donor to Serbia was not present in the media sufficiently, and that the public often thinks it is Japan or Russia instead.

Beta News Agency Editor-in-chief Ivan Cvejić considers that the timing of the survey determines the media snapshot, which reflects current events. "The period between Angela Merkel’s visit to Serbia and the Council’s decision on 9 December to postpone granting candidate status to Serbia was characterised by a high level of politicisation of the EU issue," Cvejić said, and remarked that the politicisation would reduce in parallel with Serbia’s EU integration process.

President of Journalist Association of Serbia Ljiljana Smajlović said that the absence of critical and negative articles about the EU was not good. “It is not that the journalists don’t know that they should look beyond the official sources for information,” Smajlović said, and concluded that in her opinion the problem is in the "party stance that the EU has no alternative". 

"Even if we count on the fact that journalists are more in favour of the EU integration that an average citizen, the absence of negative broadcasting on the EU is not good," Smajlović says. This is why in Serbia, as she explained, one cannot hear about any other opinion about the EU except what is quoted by official sources, or learn that, for instance, some citizens have a problem "with the price that has to be paid or the EU". 

FoNet News Agency Editor-in-chief Zoran Sekulić said that the media outlook on the EU in Serbia was positive, but also partial and rather propagandistic, superficial and dilettantish.

The propagandistic character is not so much dictated by the EU, it rather comes from the political power centres in Serbia which support European integration but treat it from the perspective of their own political interest and needs, especially now in the wake of the election campaign, Sekulić said. 

In his words, along with positive messages coming from the EU, the media perceivably ignore the Union’s positions which oppose to the interests of Serbian authorities. Sekulić says there is a clear tendency that the media sometimes treat only one dimension of the relations with the EU, such as Kosovo, but that other dimensions and the part of the public scene which opposes the EU should not be forgotten. “As Serbia progresses towards EU membership, the media will show a more realistic picture and we will be more competent and prepared for a more objective treatment of the integration process,” Sekulić said, and remarked that broadcasting on the crisis in the EU cannot be perceived as negative reporting. 

Velimir Ćurguz Kazimir, Director of Ebart Media Archives, remarked that the Serbian media were, however, indirectly critical towards the EU when reporting on the events in Greece or about the eurozone crisis, which results in a growing euroscepticism.

SEIO Deputy Director Srđan Majstorović referred to the survey according to which 85% of the citizens support the reforms in the country, disregarding the EU accession process. 

Also, in his words, 37% of the surveyees consider they do not have adequate information about the Union, while 46% of the women consider that they have no information about the EU. As everything in connection with the public opinion often comes down to money, almost half of Serbia’s citizens (49%) admit that they have no idea about the level of the grants contributed by the EU, Majstorović added.

The survey of reporting of 38 media companies in Serbia showed that in 2010 46% of TV broadcasts about the EU were neutral, while in 2011 this was the case with 99% of the broadcasts. The share of neutral broadcasts on the radio grew from 39%.

The persons featured most frequently in the EU-related contents in 2011, according to the survey, were Serbian President Boris Tadić and other officials of the Serbian Government as well as EU officials, while the citizens were featured intermittently.

EULEX still does not have an unconditional and complete capacity to execute its mandate, Degert said, and remarked that it was in everyone’s interest for EULEX to have this capacity, in order to be able to conduct investigations in Kosovo.

If we want EULEX presence and investigation of organ trafficking and other issues, we need to have freedom of movement, in order to investigate all over Kosovo, Degert explained.

Already in October 2011, the Commission has said in its opinion that it was necessary to continue the reform process, improve the judiciary, public administration, fight against corruption, reform the media sector and continue the dialogue with Priština, Degert reminded.

Replying to the question whether the end of the year was a realistic timing for Serbia to get the date for the opening of the accession negotiations, Degert said that a lot depended on Serbia’s own ability to fulfil all the requirements for this.

We know that we are entering the election period in a few days, but the administration should continue to work hard on the reforms, in order not to lose time in the election period, and that, once the new government is nominated, we can move on, Degert said.

He also says that Brussels expects the implementation of the agreements reached so far with Priština, on the Civil Registry, cadastre, freedom of movement, insurance, and points out that there is no reason to wait with solutions to these problems because of the elections.

The European Commission will publish it regular progress report on Serbia for this year in October, Degert said, and remarked that it was the next “big date”.

This report will lead to decisions, to be made by the Council in November, and then in December by the heads of state or government.

According to Degert, recognition of Kosovo’s independence is not a condition for Serbia’s EU membership, but the EU wants to see a normalisation of relations and solutions to everyday problems of the citizens.

I am happy that we have recently found several solutions to the issues of IBM, freedom of movement of people and goods and regional representation, Degert said.

Serbia is not conducting the judicial reform because of the EU, but chiefly because of its citizens, who expect to have fair processes in the courts, Degert added.

When you look at the polls in this context, the trust of the citizens in judiciary is not as high as it should be, so the authorities should work on these issues, Degert stated.

It is necessary to tackle these issues, Degert explained, in order to ensure the independence and efficiency of the justice system.

Degert also reminded of the critical views on the election of judges – lack of clear criteria, lack of transparency and the legitimacy of the High Judicial Council which conducts this process.

In his words, the High Judicial Council has a problem, as 3 out of 11 members of the body are in a “difficult” position, which has to be solved.

We are demanding from the authorities in Serbia to increase the legitimacy of this body and then to continue the nomination process, Degert highlighted.

The competitiveness of the economy is a key issue in the reform process, Degert added. He considers that it is necessary to implement a number of structural reforms and complete the restructuring of the economy and privatization process.

He also remarked that the Serbian Government recently gave bank guarantees for a number of big publicly owned companies, which will, maybe, have to be paid by the tax payers.

The question is, Degert says, whether the tax payers want to subsidise these companies.

In his words, cutting red tape and facilitating the work of administration is also a big challenge, as Serbia’s rating in these matters is not so good, if we look at the indicators of the World Bank and other organisations.

Degert also highlighted the problems related to issuing of permits and delays of payments, and said that investors expect secure conditions for investments.

As he specified, they want to be sure that the rules will not change, or, if changed, that it will be done in a consultative process.

With the candidate status we are on the good track and it is also a strong message to investors that Serbia is committed to reforms, Degert pointed out.

Speaking about EU enlargement amidst the global crisis and the eurozone crisis, Degert reminded of the statement by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, who said that the Union, 55 years after, still remains quite attractive, probably the most attractive destination for living worldwide.

He pointed out that Brussels has adopted many measures aimed at consolidating the financial situation, which is important, not only for the EU, but also for the other big players.

The enlargement process is moving ahead, Degert said, and reminded that Croatia has signed the accession agreement, that Iceland is also interested to join, as well as all of the countries of the Western Balkans.

“We hope to open the membership negotiations soon with Montenegro,” Degert said, “and clearly, we believe that Serbia should be part of this process as soon as possible, because it is the biggest country in the region”.

If Serbia is moving forward, it will give a new energy to the others to make movements as well, Degert concluded. 

"In the conclusions we included yesterday’s decision on Serbia, which is an extremely important decision, providing a key country in the Western Balkans with European perspective," Van Rompuy said.

In his words, Europe is in a deep crisis and this is being felt in all countries.

"Therefore we have to work closely together to solve the problems and to create jobs and opportunities, not least for the young people,” Wammen said. “We all know that difficult talks and decisions lie ahead,” he pointed out, and added that it was the reason why we need to joint our efforts and work together.

"If reforms continue, Serbia will be on the right track to return to its European home. I am happy to represent the country which presides over the Council of the European Union at this important moment for your country, and I am looking forward to cooperation with Serbia in the time to come,” Wammen stated.

EUROPEAN UNION IN THE EYES OF LOCAL MEDIA

Belgrade March 1 2012

Why do so many media in Serbia fail to tell ordinary people what EU membership would actually mean for them?

We would like to invite you to attend a roundtable for a discussion about the media coverage of Serbian EU accession, the lack of effort to draw the subject matter closer to the average citizen of Serbia, the issues and topics the media have come accross and the progress made in the reporting process.

On Thursday, March 8 2012 at 12:00h In the American Corner in Dom omladine, Dečanska 1, Belgrade.

 Participants are:

Vincent Degert, Head of Delegation of European Union to the Republic of Serbia

• Bojan Brkić, RTS Deputy Editor in Chief
• Dragana Milićević Milutinović, Ministry of Culture, Media and Information Society, Media Department State Secretary
• Ed Pauker, BBC Media Action  Senior Research Officer
• Ivan Cvejić, Beta News Agency Editor in Chief
• Jasna Milošević, Lead Local Researcher
• Ljiljana Smajlović,  UNS President
• Snježana Milivojević, Political Science Faculty Professor
• Srđan Majstorović, SEIO Deputy Director
• Velimir Ćurguz Kazimir, Ebart Media Archive Director
• Zoran Sekulić, Fonet News Agency Director and Editor in Chief  

The research, aimed at assessing EU related reporting in local media, is supported and funded by the Delegation of the Euroepan Union to the Republic of Serbia, and delivered as part of the BBC Media Action project Support to Media in the Area of EU Integration.  

We look forward to seeing you there.

Best regards.

For more information please contact Russell Peasgoogd, BBC Media Action, 063 361 654,

 e-mail: rpeasgood@hotmail.com