EP “highly concerned” over northern Kosovo

The EP Foreign Affairs Committee will discuss the Resolution on Serbia's European Integration on Thursday.

The EP "welcomes the agreement that have been reached so far and calls on the Serbian government to implement them fully and without any delay".

The EP noted that the first steps in the implementation of the agreements reached in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue was the fact that a regular flow of goods was ensured thanks to acceptance of customs seals, that the Serbian authorities have submitted 10,000 copies of birth registries and the fact that the implementation of the agreement on freedom of movement had started on December 26, 2011.

The EP in the document also "welcomesSerbian President Boris Tadic's statements on necessity to remove the barricades" and requests free flow of people, goods, ideas and capital "as key EU values".

The Serbian authorities are expected to "guarantee complete removal of the remaining barricades which would allow free access to crossings and the Serbian authorities are also urged to facilitate cooperation between Kosovo Serbs and KFOR and EULEX so they could implement their mandate".

The EP expressed satisfaction "over renewed emphasis of the need to continue the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in order to improve living conditions of the people in both countries".

In the draft resolution, the EP also pointed to "the importance of the wider regional cooperation process, stability and liveliness of the process that will lead the countries of the region into the EU".